Angel Eyes
by Writer's-411
Summary: The panther always gets what he wants. Grimmjow, a rich company owner, asserts his power over everyone and anyone, but that changes when Ichigo, lover to Renji, a U.S. Navy Seal, becomes a challenge. Problems arise as Grimmjow heads into battle with the full intention of claiming Ichigo for himself. Warning: Yaoi, cursing, and fighting.
1. Your Eyes

**Hello, random people. :) I am writing another one of my ideas, so let me know if any of you like it. (I hope I don't become one of those writers who spit out too many stories.) **

**Warning: Profanity, mature content (can refer to sexual scenes and adult talk), anything that young people (under 17) aren't usually allowed to see. Plus, I don't own Bleach (Grimmjow wouldn't be dead, nor would Nnoitra, who actually turns out to be pretty cool...in a way)**

**Anywho... onward to victory!**

**Chapter One: Your Eyes**

Grimmjow threw off the woman on top of him. She had gotten on his nerves. The reasons? One was that she was not the most attractive woman Grimmjow could find. The second was that she didn't know when to shut her big mouth. The third was that the woman didn't satisfy his sexual needs.

"What the hell?" the woman complained. She combed back her blonde hair with her sweaty fingers as she sat on the ground. Her bare body heaved in anger and surprise.

The blue haired man just rolled his eyes and replied, "You don't interest me anymore, whatever-your-name-is." He held back his disgusted facial expression; he didn't like it when a woman wasn't tight enough for him.

"Rangiku," corrected the woman in an annoyed tone. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sure," said Grimmjow as he rose off the bed. "Just get your shit and get the fuck out." He pulled on his pants that were flung across a lonely chair. The hotel room was small, but the chair, which was cream colored and bordered with golden trim, sat in a largely spaced corner. Grimmjow sat in the chair after buckling his pants and rested his head on the blunt edge of the backrest.

His chest rose and fell peacefully as be thought about what to do for the rest of the night. This "Rangiku" chick turned out to be a real failure in the pleasure department for him. "Fuckin' cunt," he thought. He sighed and rolled his head to see Rangiku off.

The woman finished putting on her pink dress and pink heels, so she took one last look at Grimmjow and flipped him off.

"You already failed," Grimmjow muttered loud enough for her to hear.

"Fuck you! You aren't even that good looking!" growled Rangiku. She huffed and stormed out of the room after snatching her purse from the night stand. The door slammed.

Grimmjow shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. The chandelier was glowing bright with its many light bulbs and glass pieces. The base of the chandelier was rooted to a creamy ceiling, which shared a fair amount of golden curves and shapes. "How much did I spend on this room again?" Grimmjow mentally asked himself. Another shrug.

He looked at the ruffled bed, which was also cream colored and gold trimmed. "Fuckin' Karakura Hotel," thought Grimmjow. "Pretty, pricy, and depressing." With one last sigh, Grimmjow got to his feet and proceeded to dress the rest of his body. He stood in front of the body mirror that hung on the door. As he pulled on each article of clothing, he admired his own body. He traced his muscles and curves with his eyes. After he put on his tie, he stared into his own eyes. The blue marks were there, showing his animosity.

"Fuck her," bit Grimmjow. "I'm fuckin' sexy." He pointed toward the mirror and added, "You're sexy." He ruffled his hair a bit as he continued to stare at his form. The black suit really showed off his broad shoulders, and the pants made his legs look long. He quickly checked his pockets for his room key, wallet, house keys, and cell phone. He didn't want to find out if that Rangiku girl took any of his stuff.

The blue haired man was frustrated when he realized he had to go back on the hunt. He just brought a girl, who turned out to be a real ditz in bed, and he threw her out. What's he's supposed to do? "Thank God, I'm bisexual," Grimmjow assured himself. "You just need to find a willing person, and you'll be fine in no time. No one can say 'no' to you. No one can resist you. You're the richest bastard in Karakura; you can have whoever you want." He huffed and pulled the door open.

After he walked out, Grimmjow locked the room and continued down the hall towards the elevators. He growled when he noticed more gold trimming along the walls and carpet. Karakura Hotel was owned by Grimmjow's friend, Starrk Coyote, who has a strange interest in gold and cream colors. "I'm definitely gonna tell him to stop obsessing over these colors. He really needs a designer or something," thought Grimmjow. He knew his mental rants were meaningless, but the nonsense was better than nothing.

He pushed the cream colored button on the wall as he stared at the gold elevator doors. Grimmjow shook his head. "After being here for a billion times, I don't think I should expect color changes," he thought.

The elevator's bell rung, and the golden doors slid open. An empty box just for Grimmjow. The man stepped inside and pushed the button for the main floor. He was glad that the elevators were covered in mirrors instead of more gold and cream. "Fuckin' Starrk," thought Grimmjow. He patiently tapped his foot as he listened to Rossini's "The Barber of Seville". The doors finally opened.

The main floor was a bustle of bellhops, maids, and customers. The bellhops wore blue suits, while the maids wore traditional, blue maid outfits. The manager stood at attention at the head desk, where customers were reserving rooms for the night. The men mostly wore professional suits, and the women usually wore some designer dress.

Grimmjow looked toward the desk to stare at Orihime, who was frantically typing in numbers in her computer and hand off room keys. He laughed when Ulquiorra, the manager, just stood and watched the girl suffer. Grimmjow stopped his laughing and walked toward Ulquiorra, who didn't spare him a glance. He rested his left arm on the desk, so he could lean to watch Orihime.

"I saw your girl walk away with a murderous look," said Ulquiorra in a monotone voice. "Did she discover that you were too small for her?" His eyes slid toward Grimmjow.

"You're funny, emo-tard," replied Grimmjow with a smile. "Actually, the bitch was too loose. I swear my whole hand could probably fit in there if I tried."

"Your comfort with bedroom talk is repulsive," said Ulquiorra as his eyes slid toward Orihime. He pursed his lips when Grimmjow poked his face and called him a pussy.

Grimmjow looked to the girl and blankly said, "She looks like a virgin." He smiled wickedly when Ulquiorra suddenly turned toward him.

"You wouldn't dare to touch her," growled Ulquiorra. He trembled with the sudden fury that showed in his green eyes.

The blue haired man put his hands up in surrender and replied, "I wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Manager Ulquiorra, Sir." The grin was back on his face. "I think you like seeing the girl suffer under all of the stress, especially during business events. Every time I come here, you're always watching her. You want her, don't you?"

Ulquiorra sank back into his original position and replied, "That is none of your business."

Grimmjow just chuckled and said, "Whatever. Just don't scare her with your dark, scary, emo crap." Ulquiorra flicked him off. He just shook his head with a smile and walked off. "Time to find a tight one," thought Grimmjow. He walked toward the hallway with party rooms on either side. All the halls looked the same; they all had red carpets, cream walls, and golden trim with angels curled within. One party hall was being used for a celebratory event that was held by Byakuya Kuchiki.

The Kuchiki party was being held in honor of Rukia, who just returned from America with a degree in financial business and succeeded in making a profitable arrangement with Zaraki Co. Relatives, friends, and other business people were invited to celebrate the two bird hitter. Of course, Grimmjow was invited because his company, Patera Inc., was making a lot of money from selling cars and hitting big in the stock market.

The blue haired man picked up Rangiku from the same party, and the chances of hitting big on a girl or guy didn't look so swell for Grimmjow. He walked into the party and inspected the people again. Once again, no one looked great. A lot of the women were married, which cut off a lot of women and men. Some others were too old, and another handful were too dull.

"This is the worst group I've ever joined a party with," thought Grimmjow. He sighed and walked toward the open bar to the right. He saw Chad performing fancy bar tricks with the bottles and pouring shots. Grimmjow smiled and walked over to Chad, who raised an eyebrow at his presence.

"Did you give the girl a chance to enjoy herself?" asked Chad to Grimmjow with a smile. He leaned on the counter, ignoring the other calls from young drinkers.

"Nope," replied Grimmjow as he sat on a stool.

"Por que?" asked Chad. He stood up and poured quick drinks for the young caller, and he slid the drinks down the table.

Grimmjow sighed and answered, "My interest in such women only last so long."

"'Such women'?" asked Chad as he poured Grimmjow a glass.

"Loose ones," Grimmjow filled in.

"You could say 'more experienced'," stated Chad as he handed Grimmjow the blue glass.

"Fine. I'll say too experienced," responded Grimmjow. He looked at the blue liquid and said, "You're funny."

Chad nodded his head with a smile. Then he leaned on the counter again and said, "Don't brush people off like that, Grimmjow. It's hurtful, and you might miss out on a great person."

"I'm not looking to settle down yet," said Grimmjow. He took a sip from his glass.

"I'm not talking about settling down, Grimmjow," countered Chad. "I'm talking about just a relationship."

"Doesn't that count?" replied Grimmjow.

Chad shook his head and said, "Just don't hurt yourself." He waved and turned to another yelling customer.

Grimmjow sighed and turned around in his seat. He leaned against the counter with both arms on either side. He survey the crowd again. When he got to the doorway, Grimmjow's eyes widened.

At the doorway stood a young man with orange hair. He wasn't extremely tall, but his slender figure made up for it. He wore a dress shirt and black dress pants. The man's face was set with a smile. "He's fuckin' gorgeous," thought Grimmjow.

A grin made its way on Grimmjow's face, but it faltered when he saw the next guest. After the young orange haired man entered, another man entered. The man was taller with a marine uniform on. His hair was blazing red and pulled up in a ponytail. Tattoos were visible on his head and neck. On the uniform were many medals of honor and status.

"Fuck," thought Grimmjow. When he saw the orange haired man and the red haired man hold hands, Grimmjow thought, "Double fuck." He sat up and stood on his feet; determination was on his face.

"Grimmjow," called Chad from behind.

Grimmjow turned and asked, "What?"

"Don't."

"What do you mean?"

Chad sighed and said, "I saw you looking at him. He's off limits. You saw him."

"So?"

Chad pursed his lips. "His boyfriend is Renji Abarai, and Renji's a Navy Seal. I was told about it some time ago."

"And that means..."

"He will kick your ass," answered Chad. "I'm trying to look out for you. Messing with a Navy Seal is like digging your grave." He crossed his large arms as he stared at Grimmjow.

"Fuck it," said Grimmjow. "I'm sexually frustrated, and I want him." Without hearing Chad's last words, he walked off towards the red haired couple. He would have him. He would. Grimmjow put on a friendly smile as he approached Renji. He studied the Navy Seal. He looked well built, and his face read "I've been in war, so don't fuck with me".

Renji noticed the approaching man and turned his way as he tightened his hold on the orange haired man's hand. He smiled politely.

"Hello, sir," said Grimmjow to Renji. "My name is Grimmjow Jaggerjack." He held out his hand for a shake.

"Hello," replied Renji taking Grimmjow's hand and shaking it.

"Rough hands and rough voice," thought Grimmjow. "This guy is competition." He was at eye level with Renji. "I've been told about marine life by friends, and I've seen uniforms. But I find your uniform different," said Grimmjow. He wanted to start a no-point conversation.

Renji gave half a smile and replied, "I'm a U.S. Navy Seal. I do much more than a regular soldier."

"Interesting," said Grimmjow. He thought, "Fuck!" One thing about marines is don't get into a fight with them, but a U.S. Navy Seal was ten times worse, which meant Chad was right. "Oh well," thought Grimmjow with an inward shrug. "So then you handle tough terrains and take on tougher missions?" asked Grimmjow. He put his hands in his pockets to appear cool and interested in the conversation.

"Pretty much," said Renji. He noticed Grimmjow look beside him. Renji knew who he saw, and he felt awfully rude. He remembered his manners and tugged on his boyfriend, who was having a conversation with nearby friend.

"Renji," complained the smaller man with a scowl. "I was talking to someone."

Grimmjow bit the inside of his cheek, for the young man's voice was beautiful.

"Sorry, babe," said Renji. "I just wanted to introduce you to Mr. Jaggerjack." He gestured toward Grimmjow.

"Please," said Grimmjow, "you can call me Grimmjow." He held out his hand to shake.

The young man took the hand and shook it as he replied, "My name is Ichigo Kurosaki."

Grimmjow smiled and thought, "Such a beautiful voice and such soft hands." He studied the man's face. There were no blemishes, and the skin was tanned nicely. The nose was straight, and the mouth was adorned by full lips. The eyes were the most special, for Ichigo's eyes were shaped like a doe's eyes and glazed in brown. "Your eyes," he thought, "they're just like an angel's...innocent."

"How do you know Rukia?" asked Ichigo with a smile. He knew Grimmjow was looking at him strangely, but he didn't want to say anything. Trouble wasn't needed.

"I don't know her personally, but I was invited out of business," replied Grimmjow. He couldn't stop looking down into the man's eyes. "I heard she made the best deal while coming straight from an American college." He gave a charming smile.

"That's true," said Ichigo. "I witnessed the deal after we graduated. I'm here to help her celebrate." His eyes were suffering from the large amount of attention Grimmjow was giving. Ichigo didn't feel right with Grimmjow's stare. He quickly added, "I came here with my boyfriend. I had to fight with Byakuya a little to get Renji here." He attached himself to Renji's torso with a hug. Renji returned the favor with a possessive hug.

Grimmjow wasn't amused by the act. He saw it. A way to throw him off. "You're a fighter," thought Grimmjow. "We'll see about that."

"Ichigo!" called Rukia. She waved at the couple from afar.

Ichigo turned his head and waved. He looked at Renji and said, "Come on." He gave a quick smile at Grimmjow and said, "It was nice meeting you, but I must go." Without waiting for a farewell, Ichigo pulled Renji away.

"What's gotten into you?" asked Renji as he followed Ichigo.

Ichigo turned his head a little and saw Grimmjow staring after him. He scowled at Grimmjow. Ichigo looked at Renji and said, "I don't feel comfortable with him around. Grimmjow seems nice, but his intentions don't seem so nice." He halted before the table and added, "He was looking at me strangely. His eyes were on mine the entire time. I didn't like it. It's like a staredown with a predator."

"What?" growled Renji. "Why didn't you say anything? He should know better. I'll go teach that asshole some manners." Before he could turn, Ichigo held onto him.

"Don't start a fight, Renji," said Ichigo. "I don't want you getting in trouble. Remember that you're an honorable soldier. You don't need to soil your knuckles for an insignificant moment." He stood on his toes and kissed Renji on the lips. "I love you, Renji. You're my soldier."

Grimmjow knew what happened; he didn't need Sherlock to figure it out for him. Ichigo told Renji; that simple. The pretty scowl and the enraged Renji were the huge hints. The cherry on top was Ichigo's kiss. Rejection was a bitch!

"I'll get you," thought Grimmjow with a smile. "When I do, you'll never want to leave the panther's den." He turned away and walked back to the bar. He knew he was rejected. His smile and charming talk didn't do shit. If he wanted Ichigo, he would have to put up a damn good fight. A U.S. Navy Seal and an unwilling Ichigo was enough to hold him off for good, but Grimmjow's stubborn personality won't allow something like that to stand in his way. The panther always gets what he wants.

**Ta Da! Comment or do what ever. **

**Note: If there are mistakes, go easy on me. If it's grammar, then let me know straight away.**


	2. Teaching a Wild Cat

**Hehe hem... Sorry about the time period for this chapter. My internet was being a douchebag, so I had to wait. Technology these days. More notes from me at the bottom. **

**Chapter 2: Teaching a Wild Cat**

Grimmjow silently stepped toward Chad's bar, which was located within the hotel restaurant. His hands were neatly tucked away in his blue jeans; his thumbs occasionally tugged at the belt loops that supported a black belt. The white collared shirt, striped with thin lines of black, hung loosely on his torso with its bottom hem fluttering in an untucked manner. The top buttons were undone, and a gold chain hung within the shirt's opening. Grimmjow's hair was combed back, but a few strands swayed forward to tease onlookers.

The blue haired man tucked his black shoed feet under his stool after taking a seat. He eyed the liquor-decorated shelf behind the bar's counter, and he smiled charmingly into the mirror that hung above the liquor. Grimmjow rested his arms on the counter's edge and patiently waited for Chad to show up.

Being early at the bar meant quicker access to his drinks and more efficient friendly chatting. Grimmjow loved both reasons. He only arrived early when he was staying at the hotel; otherwise, Grimmjow would just text or email Chad. The conversations would usually be about sports or recent political activity. Chad provided a great source of "average citizen" interests, which helped Grimmjow form his Pantera Inc.

Although the friendly conversations were nice, this day's conversation would be about something different. If Grimmjow had to be honest about his situation, he would have to admit that he had no idea how to approach Ichigo; thus, he needed Chad's advice.

"What time is it?" Grimmjow asked himself. He pulled out his phone and clicked the power button at the top. "7 a.m." Blue eyes drifted toward the back entrance; he counted down from three. "Three. Two...One." At 'one,' Chad entered through the door. "Perfect... As always," mused Grimmjow as he tucked his phone away.

"Grimmjow," called Chad. He wasn't surprised at the other man's presence; he expected it. "What brings you here on another early morning?" he asked as he walked toward his station.

"I need...advice," answered Grimmjow as he shamefully leaned on his right fist.

"Advice?" asked Chad, who was ducked under the counter. He popped up while tying his apron around his waist. His black dress shirt hugged his torso, and his black dress pants draped around his legs in a professional manner. The white apron threw off his dark groove. "What do you need advice for?" asked Chad. "You're usually prancing around with a know-it-all mind on your shoulders."

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "Come on," begged Grimmjow. "I'm not like that... all the time... Okay, maybe I am, but-" He raised himself suddenly and continued, "I really need your say on what my next move is."

"Your next move for what?" asked Chad, who already knew what topic was about to come up. He turned and inspected his inventory of liquor as he glanced at his friend in the mirror. He turned toward the ice chest and tilted the lid.

"You know," answered Grimmjow. He put his weight on both arms.

Chad sighed and closed the ice chest. "You shouldn't go after something that isn't meant for you to touch," said Chad. He started to pull out clean glasses and stack them on the back shelf.

"You know my brain doesn't work that way," said Grimmjow with a small smirk.

"I do know," said Chad as he turned around. "I also know that your brain gets you into trouble that usually results in bad situations."

"Like what?" challenged Grimmjow.

Chad smiled and leaned in. "You remember that time you had a threesome with those two blonde chicks?"

"Yeah."

"Remember that those chicks were married to professional wrestlers, and you almost got your ass kicked. I had to call in security to get those idiots out of here. Why? Because you decided to hide behind my bar counter," scolded Chad. He still recalled holding off two large men as he repeatedly pressed the security button. Chad placed his head on his left fist.

Grimmjow shook his head and said, "What are the odds that two women are married to pro-fighters?"

"To be honest," said Chad. "Your odds suck. Wait. Your choices aren't even odds. Everything seems definite, but this time, you are really trying to put yourself in a hole...literally."

Grimmjow raised his eyebrow again and asked, "So are you going to help me or not?"

The larger man threw up his hands and said aloud, "Why do I even bother to try to put sense in your head?"

The blue haired man slouched against the counter. "Can you tell me about him? I mean, you seem to know a lot about him, so can you give me some tips?" asked Grimmjow.

Chad turned toward the mirror, pretending to inspect the liquor again; he still noticed his shortage on vodka. "I do know him," he said. "Ichigo helped me once, and we became best friends. We knew each other since high school." Chad didn't like the idea of giving out information about Ichigo. As much as Grimmjow was equally his friend, he didn't like being in the middle of anything, especially friends.

"That's a long time," commented Grimmjow. "Would you know what he likes, or what his favorite color is? Anything that makes my job easier?"

The larger man chuckled to himself and shook his head; he couldn't believe he heard "job" come from Grimmjow's mouth. As he gathered the liquor and a cup, Chad said, "My best advice is to leave Ichigo alone. My least best advice is to figure out everything yourself by talking to Ichigo." He straightened his stance; his back was to Grimmjow. "I won't help you a lot because I know the type of man you are. You are a one-night-stand-man, who doesn't like to be attached to others in any type of bond that isn't business. You don't seek a relationship." He turned toward Grimmjow, who didn't look amused. "I'm not saying this to upset you or throw you off. I'm saying this because it's the truth, Grimmjow. If you want a chance at Ichigo, you're gonna have to put forth more than you're giving. I'm not talking about money, either. I'm talking about your feelings."

Chad handed Grimmjow the liquor and added, "Ichigo doesn't accept one night stands, nor does he accept anything that requires only his physical being." Chad gave a small smile and said, "Take that information gratefully, Grimmjow. Just know that if you hurt Ichigo, I won't hesitate to get involved. I say this as a friend." He patted Grimmjow's shoulder and turned toward the back pantry; he entered the larger inventory.

Grimmjow stared into his drink as he swirled it. "Damn," he thought. He looked up into the mirror. "Fuck...fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" He gritted his teeth. "More... Is there really more of me? I can't recall that much since..." His thoughts drifted. Grimmjow's head shot up when Chad reentered the bar area.

The larger man had three more bottles of vodka. He gently placed the bottles on the shelf alongside the nearly empty vodka bottles. Chad reanalyzed his liquor and nodded with approval.

"What about that Renji guy?" asked Grimmjow. He set his drink down. He wouldn't let anything pass. He wanted to know as much as Chad was willing to give.

Chad looked at Grimmjow and answered, "He has a short temper, so don't piss him off."

"He's bipolar?" asked Grimmjow. He didn't like the answer.

"No," came the answer. "He gets annoyed very easily, and he tends to get violent... Avoid all types of conflict with him at all costs, Grimmjow. Upsetting a Navy Seal is like startling a dragon from its slumber." Chad turned completely and added, "I mean it, Grimmjow. Don't fuck with him."

Grimmjow pursed his lips and stated, "I know my limits." He picked up his glass and took a sip. Grimmjow didn't like being told he was weaker. He always saw himself as the alpha male of everything. He made sure that his body was at its peak of strength, and he always made sure his martial arts was top notch. So what made him less of a fighter? Granted that he couldn't take out two large men, he could still hold his own if he really had to. Lastly, Grimmjow himself had a short temper, so who was really the most dangerous?

"Good," said Chad with a nod of his head.

The blue haired man sighed. "Thanks, Chad," said Grimmjow. He drank the rest of his drink and exhaled in a bored manner. He took out a wad of money and placed it on the counter.

Chad looked at the wad and said, "The drink isn't that much." He looked up; blue eyes stared at him.

"The pay is there, but the rest is tip," answered Grimmjow. "What can I say? You make one hell of a drink." He turned and walked out of the restaurant.

"Be careful," muttered Chad. He could feel the bitterness Grimmjow held at the moment. It wasn't good. He knew Grimmjow had a past, and the past would resurface again if Grimmjow wasn't on his toes at all times. "Ichigo will change you," thought Chad. "I know because he changed me."

As Grimmjow walked into the lobby, he noticed that some of the onlookers were already analyzing his assets. He pursed his lips when none of the onlookers weren't his Ichigo. Without sparing another charitable glance, Grimmjow walked by the front desk. He picked up the newspaper on the nearby stand and skimmed the front page. His eyes glanced upward, and he caught Orihime staring at him. He also saw Ulquiorra standing nearby.

"What luck," thought Grimmjow with an inward smirk. He looked up completely with his best smile. He seductively lidded his eyes when Orihime blushed. "How's your morning, Orihime?" he asked. Grimmjow loved pissing off Ulquiorra, and he loved the way the little emo always made him feel better.

The girl's eyes widened; she quickly looked away. "Ummm..." Her eyes traveled toward the blue haired man. "My morning is great, Mr. Jaggerjack. How is your's?" She fiddled with the hem of her uniform skirt.

"My morning's great, Orihime. You know you can call me Grimmjow, right?" answered he. Grimmjow tucked the newspaper under his right arm. He glanced at Ulquiorra, who looked to be focusing on the conversation. "I'll have to keep this clean," thought Grimmjow. "Don't want him going too batty."

The girl blushed brighter. "Oh! Um... Well, okay. Thank you, Mr. J- I mean Grimmjow," replied Orihime. She stood upright with her hand saluting Grimmjow by her brow. Her other hand still clenched the hem of her skirt.

A small chuckle came from Grimmjow. "Yeah. Tell your emotard manager I said, 'good morning'," said Grimmjow. He turned away with a wave; he grinned. His smile widened when he heard the girl faint behind him. He looked from the corner of his eye, and Grimmjow saw Ulquiorra fuming with jealousy. His laugh erupted loudly; he didn't bother to acknowledge the curses pouring from Ulquiorra about "harassment" and "disruptions in the work area".

After wiping away a tear, Grimmjow sighed happily and made his way toward the hotel pool. He changed his direction toward the chairs set up by the pool after he exited the building's shade. The sun was beating down on his skin in light waves; the wind brushed his skin lightly.

As he sat, Grimmjow admired the glittering water. He could see the sun's reflection and the guests' reflections. The blue haired man's eyes traveled upwards; as a result, he noticed that Ichigo and Renji were sitting on some chairs across from him. "Perfect," he thought with a smile. Grimmjow licked his lips as his eyes scanned Ichigo's tanned body.

"If only the swim trunks were off," thought Grimmjow. He leaned back in his chair as he scanned his competition. Renji was extremely built. Muscle bulged off of the man in a lot of areas, which made him look a little scarier than the wrestlers he faced earlier in life. Despite the tattoos and red hair, Renji made one hell of a soldier.

Grimmjow refocused on Ichigo after setting himself up behind his newspaper. He traced every curve slowly. The feminine curve of Ichigo's sides and the fair muscle made Grimmjow drool. The neck was strong and slender, and the hair was wild and bright. Then he saw the eyes, the unsuspecting eyes. His angel eyes that were shaped like a doe's. To make sure that his sexual side didn't go berserk, Grimmjow averted his gaze onto the page in front of him.

"Damn Ichigo and his good looking body," thought Grimmjow. He smiled and rethought, "Although, he does look really good." He blinked when he heard a screech; Grimmjow's eyes looked upward.

Renji was carrying Ichigo. "Hold your breath, babe," said Renji. He took a couple quick steps and jumped into the pool. When he resurfaced, he had to dodge a few punches. His smile never faltered.

"Renji, you're such a jerk," growled Ichigo. He floated as he held onto his arms. "It's fuckin' cold in here." He pouted when Renji laughed. He made a successful jab at Renji's arm.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, sweetheart," apologized Renji. He dodged a couple more jabs. "Hey! No hitting."

"You started it," countered Ichigo.

"You like it," said Renji with a smile.

"I should kick your ass," said Ichigo with a scowl.

"Don't give me that look," said Renji in a playful manner. He swam closer and hugged the other, who hugged himself in return. "Will you be happy if I get you ice cream?" He nuzzled Ichigo's hair and cheek.

"Strawberry ice cream and chocolate syrup?" asked Ichigo with a small pout. His eyes were narrowed and his arms were still crossed.

"With cherries and sprinkles," added Renji with a loving smile.

Ichigo gave a wide grin and said, "Okay." He gave Renji a quick kiss and exited the water.

Grimmjow clenched his teeth; the other man touching his Ichigo pissed him off. He didn't notice that his hands were clutching the paper viciously until he heard the paper tear at the edges. "Damn it," he thought. Grimmjow glanced again around his newspaper. His eyes widened when he saw Renji staring at him with a challenging smile. He watched Renji get out of the pool and flick him off (all being unnoticed by Ichigo). Grimmjow chuckled.

"You wanna tangle with the panther?" Grimmjow asked Renji under his breath. He knew that the timing of the affectionate display was too good of a timing. He finally concluded that Renji did all of that on purpose because Renji noticed the panther sizing up Ichigo. The idea was simple; Renji was clearly saying, "He's mine." Grimmjow grinned inwardly when he figured that Renji still didn't know that the panther will tear down everything to get what it wants.

"Well, I learned something," thought Grimmjow as he watched Renji lead Ichigo away toward the hotel doors. "I learned that I'm going to have to fuck someone up to get what I want." The small ice cream fact would be saved away for later.

In the hotel halls...

Ichigo just ate a lot of ice cream, which was generously offered by his loving soldier. He opened the hotel room door and entered inside. When he didn't hear Renji enter, Ichigo turned around and saw the man standing outside the door. "Renji? You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," answered the larger male. He smiled. "I'm just going to lounge about out here for a bit. You go ahead and shower first; I'll go after you."

The smaller man smiled and commented, "Your such a gentleman." He turned and locked himself in the bathroom.

Renji's smile faded and he turned toward the corner toward the left. After he shut his door, he heard a barely audible grunt. "You can come out, Mr. Jaggerjack," he said. He crossed his arms.

Grimmjow walked from behind the corner of the hall. "You noticed me," said Grimmjow with a smile. In his mind, he chanted, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! How the fuck did he notice me?"

"Doesn't take a fuckin' genius to notice a loud breather trying to control his boner," growled Renji. He leaned against the door of his room. When Grimmjow frowned, Renji said, "I don't know what kind of sick fuck you are, but I don't want you staring at my boyfriend. If you touch him or attempt to talk to him, I will fuck you up."

After a small purse of the lips, Grimmjow answered, "What makes you think you can kick my ass?"

Renji smiled. "I know I can kick your ass," he corrected. "I'm trained to kill a man as quickly as possible, Jaggerjack. The self defense crap doesn't do the job if it's not being used for a better purpose: beating your opponent."

"Heh. You and I think alike, Renji," said Grimmjow. "Just as you crave blood, I crave chaos. I am a man of destruction. I don't fight to defend myself. I fight to exploit the weakness of my opponents. I don't accept weak opponents."

"You think I'm weak?" asked Renji with a sarcastic smile.

"I don't doubt your strength," answered Grimmjow. "I just doubt that your strength is less than my own." He gave a malicious smile and added, "I may be a businessman, but I ain't a fuckin' pussy. If you want to fight me, you got it."

"Humph," snorted Renji. He took a quick step forward and made a fake jab. After completing the fake, Renji hurled his right fist at Grimmjow's ribcage. After he felt his fist make impact, Renji pulled down the expected lowered head and kneed Grimmjow in the face.

Grimmjow grunted from Renji's knee hitting his face. After he hit the floor with a thud, he groaned. When he opened his eyes, he saw Renji pinning him down. He couldn't move his arms, and he could lift his body. Renji was too heavy. Then he saw Renji's raised fist.

The red haired man smiled as he pummeled on Grimmjow's face. "That'll teach ya," he growled. When he raised his fist one last time, his wrist was held by a strong grip. He looked up and saw Chad and Shirosaki.

"Enough," said Chad. He was looking down menacingly.

"Let go," growled Renji. He tightened his thighs around Grimmjow's sides to assert his position of strength.

Chad frowned and firmly ordered, "Stand down, soldier! He's had enough!" He saw hesitation in the lower Seal.

"Yes, sir," said Renji after a sigh. He pursed his lips as he rose to his feet. Renji took a deep breath and faced Shirosaki, a higher ranking officer and Ichigo's older brother. "Shirosaki. What are you doing here, sir?" asked Renji. He stood as straight and calm as possible.

Shiro grimaced. The U.S. Navy Seal uniform made him look more intimidating due to the large amounts of medals. "Stand up straight, Renji. I asked to come here and pass you this message," said Shiro. He held out his hand, which held a small envelope. After Renji took the envelope with a "thank you," the redhead still looked at Shiro questioningly. Guessing the question, Shiro answered, "I wasn't sure about the room you were staying in, so I asked Chad to help me out."

After nodding, Renji opened the envelope. The contents shocked Renji; disappointment was evident in his voice. "So soon?" he asked Shiro.

"Positive," answered Shiro. He leaned in and added, "I hope you don't treat my brother like that, or your ass is as good as six feet under." After Renji shook his head, Shiro entered the door he assumed to be Renji's room. Renji followed after.

Chad was bent over Grimmjow, who was groaning in pain. "I told you not to fuck with Renji," scolded Chad as he looked over the damages. Only a few bruises and minor cuts. "You'll definitely be sore," muttered Chad. "Can you get up?"

Grimmjow blinked and looked upward. His eyes widened when he saw a chain with dog tags hanging from Chad's neck. "Chad?..."

The larger man noticed the hanging dog tags, but that was the least of his worries. When he heard Grimmjow mutter "I coulda had 'im," Chad grimaced. "I can't believe it," thought Chad. "After I warned you, you still provoked a fight, a fight you didn't expect to come so fast." He slid his arms under Grimmjow and lifted him. "Damn it," scolded Chad. "Where's your room?"

**Author's Note:**

**I felt this chapter was getting a little boring in the middle, so I spiced up the ending a little. I hope it makes sense to you all because everything makes sense to a tired person. Hahaha**

**Let me know the pros and cons. **

**Thanks for reading the chapter. I tried. :)**


	3. Cats Land on Their Feet

**Early Author's note: **

**I will use _italics_ to indicate thoughts of characters. Because my story structure pairs a character's thoughts and dialogue in one paragraph, knowing whose thoughts are being shown shouldn't be hard to figure out. Hope the change helps everyone understand my writing more. :) **

**Chapter 3: Cats Land on Their Feet**

Shiro embraced his little brother, who was still trying to get his vacation shorts on. "I missed ya, bro," whined Shiro. He tightened his hold on Ichigo's torso.

"Yeah, yeah," complained Ichigo as he tried to pull up his shorts. "Stop hugging me. I'm trying to pull up my shorts here." After his brother released him, Ichigo pulled up his black shorts and pulled on a red t-shirt. The orange haired boy looked up at Shiro and asked, "When did you get here? Why are you here, especially in uniform?"

The older brother waved off the questions and said, "Who cares? I'm here, so that means quality brother time for you and me." He glanced at Renji after hugging Ichigo again. He made sure to give his brother a squeeze as he smiled at Renji.

Renji swallowed. He knew that sly look too well; Shiro was going to tell Ichigo. _Shit_.

Shiro stopped hugging Ichigo, who punched him on the arm for hugging too hard. "Bro, I gotta tell ya somethin'," said Shiro. He took a step back and ushered Ichigo with him. _Renji's gotta learn sometime. His anger is gonna get him into more trouble if he keeps going like this, and I can't always save him. Even though I've saved him a few times already...Point: he shall learn. What better way to teach Renji a lesson than a good ol' bitchin' from my little brother. _Shiro smiled at Renji. He didn't want to bust Renji's bubble yet, so he started off with some random, important news. "My dearest King," announced Shiro to Ichigo, "I'm engaged."

"What?" gasped Ichigo with a large smile. "Some girl was actually crazy enough to accept you in marriage? That's great, Shiro. Who's the lucky girl, and when's the wedding?" He had his hands on his hips as he beamed up happily at Shiro.

"Don't mock me, King," said Shiro with a grin. "I'm not so bad." He put an arm around his brother's shoulders to emphasize his gentle nature.

"Sure you are," countered Ichigo playfully. He crossed his arms as he said, "Remember that time you almost beat up Ishida in high school?"

"Um..."

"And that time you wanted to shoot Rukia with that paintball gun in college? AND you liked her? And you made an excuse with her move from Japan? And her origins from Japan?" added Ichigo with a sly smile. _You're also hypocritical because our family originated from Japan, too. _

Shiro sighed and took his arm back. "You make me sound so evil," he complained with a pout. "Don't blame me for being a proud American, hormonal teenager." He made a fake sniff.

_You Yankee. _Ichigo patted his brother's head and asked, "So who is she?"

The white haired male grinned again. "Her name is Nel," he replied. He crossed his arms proudly as he awaited his brother's response.

"Nel?" asked Ichigo as his right eyebrow shot up. "The one from your history class in college?" Ichigo remembered Nel. The green haired girl had a crush on Shiro during their college years, and Ichigo had to admit the woman was beautiful. Nel used to hang out a lot with Shiro and Ichigo, and Ichigo always knew why. The reason why she decided to marry Shiro was still in question. To Ichigo, Shiro always seemed like an immature boy; that all must've changed when Shiro decided to be a SEAL.

Shiro nodded his head. His golden eyes gleamed when Ichigo gave a giant smile and congratulated him. "Yup," said Shiro, "and I want you to be my best man." He slapped his left hand on Ichigo's back.

After Ichigo grunted from the hard hit, he looked at his brother dumbfounded. "Really?" he asked incredulously. When his brother nodded, Ichigo jumped with joy and turned to Renji. "Did you hear that, Renji? I'm the best man!" Ichigo hugged his brother and thanked him for the honorable opportunity.

Renji smiled and gave Ichigo a thumbs up. "That's awesome, babe," he said. When Ichigo went back to thanking his brother again, Renji slipped his left hand over the back pocket of his swim trunks, for he had slipped the letter in his pocket to keep for later reference. _Ichigo is going to flip. He's gonna be pissed at me for my brawl and my early departure. Fuck! I can already feel the heat that gonna come. Why, Shiro? Telling Ichigo is the worst possible thing you can do. Damn it! I think I'm gonna die today. _His gaze shifted toward the floor.

"You're welcome, King," said Shiro with a giant grin. _Now to lay it on 'im. _Shiro thought that torturing Renji with the wait took long enough.

Renji bit his bottom lip as he heard whispering. He rocked on his heels as he waited for the announcing sound of hell.

Shiro cupped his right hand to whisper in Ichigo's ear, and he held his brother in place with his free hand. He whispered everything he witnessed in the hallway, and he made sure to add all of the details. "Oh," added Shiro as he pulled away, "and Renji has somethin' to share with ya, too." He patted his brother's back. When he saw Ichigo's eye twitch, Shiro made a quick run for the door. Before escaping, Shiro turned and whispered to Renji, who turned to him with a pleading expression, "Ya see. You shouldn't be afraid of me." He gestured to Ichigo with his thumb as he added, "You should be very scared of him. Good luck! I hope ya live." Shiro disappeared.

After the door closed, Shiro ran down the hallway and around the corner. He knew that when Ichigo's eye twitched, hell was gonna rain down. Shiro didn't want to be around Ichigo with hell raining down; Ichigo's yelling and demonic sent chills down Shiro's spine. He recalled being victim of Ichigo's yells and look; the experience could not be described with words. Shiro would never upset his brother again; rocking back and forth in a corner was not normal for a one minute older brother.

_Damn. I hope he does live. _Shiro casually walked toward the elevator. _I think I should pay that blue guy a visit. I should apologize for Renji, at least. I just hope Renji didn't break anything on the poor guy. _With that last thought, Shiro pulled out his phone and dialed Chad's number. The phone rang a few times before the call was answered.

"Hello," came Chad's voice.

"Hey, vato," greeted Shiro with a half smile.

"Hey, guerro," answered Chad. "What can I do for you?"

"Are ya still with that blue haired guy?" asked Shiro as he leaned on the wall next to the elevator.

"Yeah," answered Chad. "Why?"

Shiro cleared his throat and said, "Can I come up?"

Chad looked at Grimmjow's knocked out form on the bed. Seeing that Grimmjow was still laid out, Chad answered, "Sure. Take the elevator to the sixth floor, and walk left until you reach room sixty-six."

"Gotcha," answered Shiro in confirmation. After he hung up his phone, Shiro sighed and stood up. He put his phone away and smoothed out his jacket and pants with a few pats. Shiro turned to the elevator and pressed the up button. The doors opened immediately, so Shiro quickly entered and looked to the buttons. He pressed the button with a gothic six next to it. The doors closed and jolted to move. _I wonder who this guy is. Renji may have a short fuse, but he doesn't lash out for no reason. All of his brawls have been about someone pissin' 'im off. What did this guy do? I hope he didn't get into it with Renji over something stupid. Last time, Renji beat a guy senseless for calling him a tattoo clown. I guess that's what happens when you allow a guy to get all of those tattoos. I like Renji, but I don't want his temper turning on my little brother._

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Shiro stepped out and turned left. He walked in a bored manner as he looked up at the room door numbers. After a few more strides, Shiro came upon door sixty-six. He gently knocked on the door.

Chad heard a knock on the door. _Must be Shiro. _He walked over to the door and opened it. Chad couldn't help but smile at the smaller man. Shiro had been his best friend since high school, too. He met Shiro when Ichigo introduced them to each other, and the two always pulled pranks together. The two never included Ichigo because of Ichigo's tendency to throw a demonic fit for stupid activities.

"Ya gonna let me in, vato?" asked Shiro with a smile. He had put his hands in his pockets. Memories with Chad flooded him. They became SEALS together after college, and they always helped each other out. They even teamed up during missions in their platoon; they always watched each other's backs. As their military years progressed, they were rewarded with higher ranks. Chad was the second highest rank. Their glory ended when Shiro got promoted to Chad's position and Chad's left shoulder was badly damaged. Shiro had saved Chad that day when an unsuspected soldier stabbed Chad with a long blade. The attacker was shot in the head with Shiro's quickly drawn handgun. Chad almost died in Shiro's arms. He remembered only having the moon to help him see the wound inflicted and having only the sand to rest Chad on. The rest of the team found them later, and they all boarded a boat a few miles away. Chad was saved due to Shiro's efforts and the team's quick movements, but his condition deemed him too fragile for combat. As a result, Chad retired, leaving Shiro to help hold up the reigns by himself.

The larger man stepped aside. As Shiro walked in, Chad said, "Renji knocked him out pretty well." He closed the door.

Shiro nodded his head and walked over to the knocked out man. He turned his head to Chad and asked, "Your shoulder okay?"

Chad rolled his left shoulder and answered, "I'm tougher than I look, guerro." He always remembered not to overdo the pressure with his left shoulder, and he knew that Shiro always looked out for him after the incident back in their military years. Thus, he was touchy about his shoulder, but he could never scold Shiro for being a worrywart. They were basically partners in crime.

The smaller man chuckled. "I know you're tough, vato. That's why you and I made the dynamic duo in our teens."

"I remember those days," said Chad as he leaned against the closed door. "I still like to reminisce on the egg joke we pulled. Man, your dad was going nuts."

Shiro turned completely as he chuckled. "Remember that time we painted the principles car pink 'cause we thought he was gay. Haha! And we wrote on his windows." He leaned on one leg as he continued, "You wrote something in Spanish, and the principle was confused." Shiro laughed.

"Pendejo," laughed Chad. "I can still his face. The fuckin' icing was his outcry about foreign students." He crossed his arms.

"We both know what that earned 'im," said Shiro. He smiled fondly at the memory. When he heard the outcry, Shiro wasn't happy because Chad was a foreign student from Mexico.

"He never ate gyros again," said Chad with a smirk. He remembered Shiro putting laxative in the principles lunch. The laxative was powder, so the color faded within the sauce. Chad made sure to lock all of the bathrooms in the building, forcing the principle to run to the next building. Shiro took care of the second building's bathrooms, but he did leave the girls' bathrooms open. The female latrines were the only source of mercy.

"Heh. The laxative thing you thought of was genius," commented Shiro to Chad.

"Your bathroom idea made it better," said Chad. He sighed happily. His fond memories erased when he heard a groan, though. Chad looked around Shiro and saw Grimmjow sitting up.

"Fuck," cursed Grimmjow aloud. He groaned when he had to move slowly. His hand motioned toward his ribcage as he continued to sit up.

Shiro turned and frowned. He straightened his stature and said, "Hello, sir."

Grimmjow looked up. "How the hell did I get up here?" he asked. He tried to rub his face, but he winced when his skin stung. "Fuck," he cursed again.

"My buddy carried you up here after we intervened in your fight," answered Shiro. He kept his professional stature as he quickly apologized for Renji's behavior. Grimmjow didn't respond to the apology; he just blinked.

"How are you feeling?" asked Chad as he positioned himself next to Shiro. He looked at Grimmjow with a concerned look.

"I feel like shit," answered Grimmjow. He leaned back against the pillows and stared at the two men. "What happened to that bastard, Renji?"

"No need to worry about him. He's being taken care of," answered Shiro. _I hope King goes easy on the poor guy. _Shiro smiled reassuringly.

Grimmjow growled.

"Do the hallways have cameras?" asked Shiro to Chad. His friend nodded. "Do you have access to the tapes?"

"Why?" asked Chad, who did have access to the tapes. _I hope he isn't thinking of doing something with the tape. That's not fair. _

Shiro smiled and replied, "I wanna see who started the fight, and I think I should see the complete damage. Renji's punishment relies on what I see."

"He's not supposed to be fighting at all," said Chad. He pursed his lips at the thought. _SEALS were meant to honor and protect citizens. Renji broke that; how dishonorable and shameful._

"He'll get what's comin' to 'im," said Shiro. "I already got my King preparing him for the rest of hell." Shiro smiled when chad's eyes opened wider.

Chad narrowed his eyes and challenged, "You didn't."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," said Shiro with a wicked smile.

The taller man replied, "That's evil. How could you send Ichigo on Renji like that. That's like sending a wolf to handle a bad sheep."

The white haired man smiled wider and countered, "Ya know he deserves it. He's gotten into far worse." He muttered under his breath, "I had to help him with all that, too."

"You're brother is evil when he's angry, Shiro," said Chad. He dropped his arms to his side.

"Wait. You're Ichigo's brother?" came Grimmjow's voice.

Both men turned back to the bedded Grimmjow. Grimmjow was staring at Shiro with interest.

"Yeah," replied Shiro. His smile was gone. "Why ya ask?" He concentrated on Grimmjow. Before Grimmjow could move his mouth, Shiro said, "How do you know my brother?"

"I learned of him from Chad," replied the blue haired man.

Shiro turned his head to Chad and asked, "You actually know this guy?"

Chad nodded. "I've known him since my first day working here as a bartender. He kind of reminds me of you sometimes. Being reckless and risky and all that jazz," said Chad with a fond smile.

"Like me, huh?" stated Shiro as he looked back at Grimmjow. He tilted his head and looked back at Chad. "I don't think so, vato. I don't remember getting my ass kicked by a redheaded guy."

Grimmjow clenched his teeth and retorted, "That fight was bullshit! He fought dirty! He caught me off guard!"

Shiro quickly turned around and replied with a creepy smile, "Do you know martial arts? Do you fight at all?" When the other nodded, Shiro said, "Then you should know the element of surprise. No fighter is ever clean. Did ya know that? That's 'cause both are tryin' to rip each other apart for complete victory. Blood leaves the skin, and parts of the flesh are damaged. Nothing is ever spotless unless you're some fuckin' amazin' fighter." Shiro thumbed at Chad and asked Grimmjow, "Did he ever tell ya he was a Navy SEAL? Did he ever tell ya how he came to be retired in a place like this? Did ya know that Yasutora Sado has war stories more worthy of praise than Stonewall Jackson? Did he tell ya how he got injured?" Shiro walked closer to Grimmjow, who was glaring back. "I'll answer how he got here: he was in a fight for his life. Don't talk about fighting dirty, sir. You haven't seen a dirty fight unless you're in the military. As for Renji, he's a SEAL, and he'll be dealt with by me."

Chad sighed from behind. "Shiro. I'll call Ulquiorra to bring up the tape." _You didn't have to try to scare him, Shiro._

The white haired man retreated from Grimmjow's bedside and walked to Chad. "Good," said Shiro. "I want to see what Renji did to this guy."

Grimmjow didn't like Shiro getting in his face. He could tell that he offended Shiro when he made the dirty fight comment, and he didn't want all that. Grimmjow wanted to be on Shiro's best side. As far as Grimmjow was concerned, Shiro was key to getting to Ichigo, so being inoffensive wasn't an option. _Fuck. Maybe Chad was right about all of this. I need to bring more. If want Shiro to like me, I gotta be careful. I can't be reckless. I can't be risky. Displaying my bad side won't get me anywhere. _He looked up when he heard the door click open.

"Here's the tape, Sado," said Ulquiorra in his bored tone. He glanced at the bed and commented, "You really should ice those bruises. Did your girlfriend bite too hard or did you get your ass kicked?" He flipped off Grimmjow. He gave a small smile when Shiro chuckled.

In return for the flipping, Grimmjow gave Ulquiorra a double flip off and mouthed, "Fuck you." When Ulquiorra left, Grimmjow laid against the pillows innocently. He watched as Shiro and Chad murmured amongst one another, then Chad went toward the television and bent down to find the VCR. He heard the tape slide in. Before Chad could turn on the television, Grimmjow quickly said, "I want a rematch."

Shiro was the first of the two to turn. "What?" asked Shiro.

"I want a rematch," said Grimmjow. "I want a respectable fight, too. War may be messy, but a fight between two fighters is art. As a fellow fighter, Renji should respect this. He should respect my request when I challenge him." His eyes were narrowed with determination. _I will prove my worth to Shiro. I will prove my worth to Ichigo. I ain't a fuckin' pussy! I'll show them all that I can fight. I'll show them I care for Ichigo. _Grimmjow crossed his arms as he waited for an answer.

"Grimmjow," said Chad from behind Shiro. "What did I say? You know what you're in for, so why are you asking for a rematch?" He looked to Shiro and pulled him around to face him. "You'll deny that request, right? You see what Renji did to him. He can't go through that again. That's asking for a broken rib."

Shiro looked from Chad to Grimmjow. He smiled and said, "I know." He patted Chad's remaining hand and slid it off. He was still staring at Grimmjow. "You got guts, Grimmjow," said Shiro. He awkwardly said Grimmjow's name. "I'll give ya that much, but asking for a rematch with Renji is asking for way more than a broken rib. My SEALS are trained to kill a man with both finesse and no weapons. You shouldn't be asking for a fight with the devil."

"The devil?" asked Grimmjow with a raised eyebrow. "A bit dramatic don't you think. I can hold my own in a fight. I'm a black belt in sanda, so I think I stand a chance against your 'devil.'"

The white haired officer smirked and replied, "I said devil for a reason, Grimmjow. Renji is notorious for his fighting skills. He's killed almost as many men as Chad here, and that is a lot of blood. Unless you want to be added to his count for a stupid scuffle, I suggest you stay put."

Grimmjow grinned and said, "If I win, I won't report him." He saw a change in Shiro's facial expression. When Shiro tried to counter him, he added, "Remember: cats always land on their feet. Give me a chance, and I can show you how I can get back on my feet properly." _That's the panther talking._

Chad sighed behind Shiro. He pinched the bridge of his nose to calm himself. _He got him. Grimmjow got Shiro. Renji's been a friend since the start of boot camp; Shiro won't report him. Shiro won't want to send Renji in a world of trouble. Please, Shiro. Find a way out of this. _

Shiro stood dumbfounded. "What's in it for you?" he asked Grimmjow. To ask for another fight meant that there had to be a prize.

The blue haired man growled, "My dignity and my honor." _And Ichigo. I acted like a fuckin' mongrel toward Ichigo with my actions; therefore, I am ashamed. I dishonored my name by acting like a mangy mutt. I won't stand for it all. By clearing these, I will show how I am not so vulgar. _

"I won't allow this!" came Chad's outburst. "This is madness." He turned Shiro around roughly and said, "Don't allow this to happen. Don't let Grimmjow and Renji face off again."

Shiro didn't know what to do. He was torn. He can't stop Grimmjow from fighting Renji. He could intervene, but he couldn't permanently keep them apart. The only way out was to be oblivious to everything. "From now on. I'm blind," said Shiro as he looked into Chad's eyes.

Grimmjow grinned. _Perfect. _

"Why?" asked Chad ferociously. He was squeezing Shiro's shoulders.

"This is his punishment," said Shiro. He winced when Chad squeezed his arms tighter. "Renji will be departing tomorrow anyway. I'll be going with him back to the United States. Maybe a small fight will help Abarai think straight and make Grimmjow feel better. Who knows who will win? One thing for sure is that I can't see Abarai get in trouble. He's needed badly out there, Chad. Either way the fight goes, Renji and Grimmjow won't see each other after tomorrow."

Chad released his friend and turned toward the television. _Maybe this tape will change both of their minds. _He turned on the television and pressed "play" on the VCR. "See for yourself why this fight should not happen," said Chad. The screen turned fuzzy, then it showed a clear picture. The moment was perfect, for the scene played out immediately.

Shiro was amazed at the play of events. _Both of these idiots were practically baiting each other. _After he saw the knee in Grimmjow's face, Shiro knew what Renji would do. As expected, Renji mounted Grimmjow's chest and wailed on Grimmjow's face. _Fucking idiots. They were talking about my brother. My little brother! Fuckin' dickheads! _He turned to Grimmjow and asked, "This is about Ichigo?"

The blue haired man didn't dare turn his gaze from Shiro's piercing one. Grimmjow looked at the eyes, and he wondered if he was insane for looking into the golden pools. _He's pissed. Fuck! That's not what I want right now._

"This is about my brother?" Shiro asked again. When he received a nod, Shiro sighed. His reaction was not expected by the other two in the room. "This is the third time this has happened." _First Ikkaku Madarame, then Ichimaru Gin. What the fuck is this? I shouldn't be allowing anyone to touch my King with this shit going on. _"Should I be worried about why you want my brother?" asked Shiro as he stared up at the ceiling. His golden eyes blinked back at Grimmjow.

"I really like him," said Grimmjow. He was hoping that Shiro would understand his position.

Shiro shook his head and looked at Chad, who was expecting Shiro to call off Grimmjow. Shiro finally understood why everything was happening. Instead of saying something to restrain Grimmjow, Shiro said, "All is fair in love and war." He walked toward Chad. He put a hand on Chad's left shoulder and stated, "My friend, I can't always order people to do as I say, for war and love are both filled with dirty fights." He patted Chad's shoulder. "Try to understand, vato. This is a personal matter between Renji, Ichigo, and Grimmjow. Granted I'll fuck either of them up if they hurt my brother, but I won't get into their matters of settling things." _I don't care who wins. I hope Abarai doesn't embarrass himself, though. _

"I don't mean for Ichigo to sound like a piece of meat," said Grimmjow from his position. "I just really like him, and I want to get to know him." _This is more. I'm giving more. I want to show more. I want to show that I'm worthy. I want Ichigo to see me as me, not the player but as me. I want to show him Grimmjow. _"I think he's beautiful, and I think he has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." Grimmjow recalled the long lashes that flapped like angel wings when Ichigo blinked.

Shiro looked serious when he turned to Grimmjow. "This is my warning, Grimmjow," said Shiro. "If any harm comes to my brother from either you or Renji, I will personally see to it that the offender is hanging from his own intestines." He marched quickly to Grimmjow and neared his face towards Grimmjow's. He growled, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Very," came Grimmjow's response. He was under the power of golden eyes. _No wonder this guy's an officer. His eyes are digging into me. _Grimmjow was frozen in his seat. Shiro was a SEAL not worth pissing off.

In Ichigo's room...

Renji was trying not to yell back at Ichigo after all of the yelling he went through. His blood was starting to boil.

"Renji!" came Ichigo anger toned voice.

The SEAL looked up. His eyebrows were furrowed together in anger, and his cheeks were red.

Ichigo sighed and suddenly hugged Renji, whose eyes widened at the sudden caring move.

"Ichigo?"

"You really need to stop, Renji. Just stop fighting. You know how I feel about you, so why fight more? What are you trying to prove?" questioned Ichigo. He let go of Renji.

"I didn't like it. The way that Grimmjow looked at you. I wanted to put him in his place. He practically looked at you like a wolf would at a lamb," defended Renji.

"I like that you really care," said Ichigo with a soft smile. He ran a tender hand over Renji's cheek. "Promise that you won't fight again."

Renji sighed and asked, "What if I'm provoked to protect you? What if-"

Ichigo cut him off with a finger to Renji's lips. "Just try not to, okay?" When his lover nodded, he smiled. Remembering what his brother said, Ichigo asked, "What did you want to tell me? My brother mentioned that earlier."

The other frowned and got to his feet. "Wait here," he said. Renji didn't want to bother with the stupid not in his back pocket, so he went to his suitcase to get what he needed. He and Ichigo had a tradition: when Renji left for service, he would leave something with Ichigo. Renji bent down and unzipped his suitcase. He pulled up the flap and pulled out a pair of knives.

"No," came Ichigo's voice. "No." He sat on the bed as he stared at Renji. "Why? Why do they call you? You just got back half a week ago." Ichigo didn't like it when Renji left, for Renji was part of a platoon that specialized in neutralizing terrorists groups.

Renji bit his lip as he walked toward Ichigo. He held out his hands. Granted that both were twin blades, both blades had different names and sheaths, but the knives both made Zabimaru. The knives both had silver blades that gleamed like gold, and the hilts were wrapped in a pure white bandage that had silver border stitches. One knife had a snake slithering up the blade; its name was Serpent. The other knife had a monkey on the blade with bared fangs; its name was Fang.

Ichigo pouted as he plucked Serpent from Renji's right hand. He rested both of his hands and Serpent on his lap; he stared at the knife.

Renji clutched Fang in frustration, for his lover was unhappy. "Ichigo," he said. When Ichigo looked up, tears were pooling in his eyes. Renji sighed and dropped to his knees. He looked up, but Ichigo was looking to the side. "Babe, look at me," called Renji. Ichigo looked at him. "You know how this works. I'll do my best to come back to you."

"When do you leave?" whimpered Ichigo. _You don't have to remind me, Renji. I do know. I do know. If you come back with the other half of Zabimaru, I can rejoice. If Fang comes back without Renji, then I will know that Renji passed on serving for our country. _The thought made Ichigo's heart thump painfully.

"Tomorrow," said Renji with distaste. "I know it's soon, so I want to spend as much time with you as possible." He put his hands on Ichigo's and added, "When I leave, I don't want you worrying about me out there. I want you to have fun here with Rukia and Orihime and Chad. I promise I'll do my best to come back to you. I can't promise I will because I can only try." Ichigo embraced him tightly. "I love you, Ichigo."

**Author's note:**

**Spanish translations**

**vato- man, guy, dude [pronounced as written]**

**guerro- white boy [ pronounced _wedo_]**

**pendejo- stupid man [pronounced _pendeho_]**

**I hope the translations help with understanding. If you all don't know what laxative is, it's a medicine that makes people go number two. At least I think it does.**

**Anyway, I wanted to defend Grimmjow in this chapter. Grimmjow has realized something (yay for him): he really does have to put forth more. I wanted to show him as a strong man. I really didn't want to show him as weak. (Thus, the "off guard" part... no?) If I really failed, then damn it all. I hope his strong determination to gain back his self respect and woo Ichigo makes him appear stronger. If not, then damn it all again. **

**I hope the knife tradition sounded cool. 'Cause it sounded cool in my mind. Hehe... Anyways...**

**I did my best to make everything awesome and understandable. I thank Loreto W for inspiration to write this story. Your enthusiasm helps me think. I also thank all those who gave me constructive feedback (you know who you are *SexyBleachGuys and Misc. Ink*) :)**

**Go ahead and review or do other stuff you normally do. **

**I'm kinda scared of what y'all will say now. **


	4. Panther's Claws

**Chapter Four: Panther's Claws**

Shiro emerged from Grimmjow's room with a nervous feeling. He really didn't like what went on in the room. He had accepted Grimmjow's declaration to fight Renji, and he had allowed his brother to become a trophy. He basically felt he had degraded his brother and himself.

"Fuck," cursed Shiro under his breath. _I don't know if I can trust this fight at all_, he thought. _Renji is a fuckin' monster in a fight; he could hurt this Grimmjow. I hope that blue haired, cocky bastard is right about being a black belt in sanda, or he's gonna have his ass handed to him again. _With another sigh, Shiro shook his head and headed back toward the elevators.

_I might as well watch my brother_, thought Shiro as he pushed the button. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator. When the contraption did ring, Shiro complained, "About time." He stepped forward.

As Shiro entered the elevator, Chad was leaning against the door, trying not to strangle the blue haired man on the bed. He did so by looking at the ground and fiddling with his dog tags, which hung freely outside of his shirt. Chad didn't know what to say. His friend's life was possibly in peril, and his best friend, Ichigo, could get hurt in the fray. He couldn't blame Shiro; he knew the SEAL was caught.

_All is fair in love and war_, thought Chad as he grimaced at the ground. _What is exactly fair? I don't know what's fair, Shiro. I don't know what to say to that, either. 'Fair' can mean anything. Anything at all. Even death... _He dropped his tags and sighed. Although the thought of Renji ever killing Grimmjow was in his mind, Chad had to admit that even Renji wouldn't stoop so low.

Grimmjow had watched Shiro leave after the SEAL was satisfied with the given answer. He just noticed he was holding his breath, so Grimmjow released the air. He replayed everything that just happened until that point in his mind. He combed over all of Shiro's words, and he analyzed Shiro's reactions. After thinking deeply about it all, he leaned back on the pillows and stared at his hands in disbelief.

_I really did it_, thought Grimmjow. _I asked him to permit me to fight Renji...and he barely accepted my request. _He looked up at Chad, who looked to be snarling at the ground. With a cautious tone, Grimmjow started, "Chad-" He was caught off by a look he had never seen from Chad.

The larger man was looking at Grimmjow fiercely. His brown eyes were gleaming through the dark locks of his bangs, his brow was furrowed, and his lips were pressed together tightly. When he opened his mouth, the voice coming out was far more fierce.

"What were you thinking?" he snarled. "I barely saved you from being beaten into a coma, and you ask for another fight. How can you do this?"

"I want 'im," answered Grimmjow. "A lot more than I thought." His eyes were sadly drooped. _I do want him. I really do._

"Tell me, Grimmjow," growled Chad between his teeth, "are you speaking for your bodily desires or your heart?" His eye focused on Grimmjow's face. _Tell me the right answer_, he demanded within his mind.

Grimmjow didn't immediately reply, for he looked down. At the moment he saw Chad straighten his stance, Grimmjow quickly said, "If I'm fighting his boyfriend for him, I guess there might be more than just lust." His eyes were refocused on Chad. Grimmjow never felt so awkward; his answer didn't seem to fit the question just right. He felt it, and he was sure that Chad felt it, too.

"So... There's a chance Ichigo is more than a fulfillment for your desires," stated Chad. His response seemed calmer, which threw off the other man. "I don't get it," said Chad aloud from his thoughts. He wanted to speak his mind fully. "You said something different to Shiro. Why is your response different towards me? I thought there was more to this fight..." Chad trailed off.

_There's no way Grimmjow could be answering like this...unless he's unsure_, thought Chad. He leaned against the door again and banged the back of his head against the door. He caught Grimmjow's flinch. _There's no reason to fight if you're unsure, Grimmjow_, thought Chad.

_Or were you trying to look good, Grimmjow? _he mentally asked. _There's no point in trying to impress a soldier who doesn't care for this fight._

Instead of asking for uncertainty, Chad asked Grimmjow, "Were you trying to look good in front of Shiro?"

Grimmjow was shocked at the question. _Does Chad think that lowly of me? He really thinks that I would say all that crap for just a one time impression? _

"You seemed well into those words about honor and dignity," Chad stated blankly. He rolled his head the other way to concentrate on nothing; he just didn't want to look at the other. _Tell me you spoke the truth_, Chad begged.

_I guess I did seem that low_, Grimmjow sighed. He had to get the truth out. He wanted Chad to know what's going on with him, and he wants Chad to know what he really wants. He wasn't kidding about honor and dignity, either, so he would have to somehow prove that to his friend. "Chad," started Grimmjow, "look. I'm not gonna make some sappy confession, but I will tell you that I don't just want one night with Ichigo. I want to show him the real me."

"The real you?" questioned Chad. His head was still against the door and turned away, so his eyes had to stare at him from an awkward angle. "Who is the 'real' you, Grimmjow? Do I not know the 'real' you?" He swallowed a lump in his throat. If a confession was necessary from the tall man, he would confess that he was hurt. _I know him as the player. I know him as the rich kid. I know him as one of my close friends. I know him to be as much of a brother as Shiro is to me... So what is he hiding from me?_ Chad questioned.

"You know me," answered Grimmjow. _Just not all of me_, he added. He leaned back against the pillows and sighed as he rested his hand on his forehead. "I'll be honest," he confessed, "I didn't tell you a lot. Don't think that I don't trust you 'cause I do trust you. I trust you with my entire being. You know me as the player who lives in a house the size of the Playboy mansion. You know me as your friend. I just never told you my past; thus, you don't know me as the fucked up loverboy."

_Fucked up loverboy? _Chad pondered. _What time is it? _He looked around the room and found the clock. Being satisfied with the time, he stood upright and walked toward the bed. Before he got to the edge, he pulled a chair along with him, so he could sit. When he was settled on the chair, Chad leaned on his knees. His face was more relaxed. Granted he was still serious about what was going on, he still wanted to be as calm as possible. "I have time to listen," he said.

Grimmjow nodded his head and set his hand down on his lap. With a deep breath, Grimmjow started, "I used to be a romantic... I know that sounds hard to believe, but I was." He laid his head backward to look at the ceiling. "I used to be the guy who only stayed with one person until the end of the relationship. I used to buy flowers, candy, dinner, everything. I dated mostly women, so all that crap was necessary...But then that one woman showed up in my life. I thought she was the one, Chad. I thought she was.

"She didn't need any flowers, she didn't need any candy, and she definitely didn't need to be treated to dinner. She was so much like a guy, but with a feminine side." Grimmjow stopped to look at Chad, who raised his eyebrows. A tear glinted in the light off of Grimmjow's cheek; he swore he saw it reflect off of Chad's face.

"One day, I proposed. I got on my knee, presented the ring, and asked her to marry me... She said, 'no.' When I asked for her reason, she told me, and I quote, 'I'm not ready for a commitment like that.' Before this gets more dramatic than it needs to be, I want to add that the rejection wasn't what broke my heart.

"I woke up one day, and she was gone. She left me a note." Grimmjow took in a deep breath. He continued, "The only thing the note said was 'sorry.' I don't know why she left. I called her, but she changed her number. I tried to visit her, but she moved." He stopped to look back up at the ceiling.

"That was six years ago, though. Before I met you, I had another downfall for a relationship. This guy. Oh, man. I thought he was my savior. He told me all of these things that I loved to hear. I gave him anything he wanted," Grimmjow said with a maniacal smile. "He was a small guy, and he was pretty. I loved him, but the problem was that he didn't love me. I found that out the hard way." He pursed his lips and viciously stated, "That bastard was fuckin' some other guy in the condo I bought for him!"

Grimmjow looked down at the sheets and clenched his fists. "He was surprised I was there. Heh. The other guy was just as surprised... Their faces didn't last too long, though. I knocked out my ex, and I broke almost every bone in the other bastard's body." His eyes narrowed. "That same year, I decided to not fall for all that shit again." Grimmjow was trying hard to calm himself down; his nostrils were flared as he exhaled his breaths.

"Love, Grimmjow," stated Chad. When Grimmjow looked back at him, he continued, "You can't get revenge on love. It's abstract. You can only feel it. If you see it, then there's a miracle." He rested a strong hand on Grimmjow's shoulder and lectured, "I can see your pain; I can feel it rolling off of you. Granted that no one can unstab the wounds in your heart, the wounds can still heal. Lover after lover doesn't help.

"That method is like applying water to a deep bullet wound to kill off the dangerous infections and hold off the bleeding. No. You must apply pressure to stop the bleeding, and you must wash the bullet wound with antibiotics. The same is with your wounded heart." Grimmjow looked away. With a gentle squeeze that made Grimmjow look back up at him, Chad said, "You must give yourself time to think about your priorities. To think about what is best for you."

After licking his lips, Grimmjow replied, "I have thought about what I want. Don't get pissed at me, but I want Ichigo." He expected Chad to punch him or yell at him, but the other just sat there with his arm still resting on his shoulder. "I may be fighting Renji for him, but that doesn't mean I wasn't serious about my dignity and honor. That guy took those away really quick in the hallway, and I want it all back. I need it to face Ichigo."

"You're sure you want to open up to Ichigo?" asked Chad in calmer tone. "Don't rush into this if your heart still needs time to heal." _Give me the right answer_, he thought again. _You were unsure. Now that you've expressed yourself, tell me the right answer._

"Yeah," came the response.

_Now you're sure_, smiled Chad. He got to his feet and looked down at Grimmjow, who had to bend his head back farther to match the gaze. "Okay, Grimmjow. I won't stop you from fighting Renji, but don't expect me to stop Renji if he overpowers you. You're fighting for your dignity and honor; you know that you can only do that on your own. I will be nearby, though," said Chad. He held his hand. "You ready to make that challenge?"

With a brighter smile, Grimmjow took Chad's hand and allowed the other to pull him to his feet. "Thanks, Chad," he said. He rolled his neck and rotated his shoulders. He bounced on his feet a little to show that he was definitely ready. _Okay, Renji. I'm gonna see what ya really got_, Grimmjow thought.

Chad chuckled, "Okay, Mr. Warrior, let's go. You can't challenge Renji if you're up here bouncing."

Grimmjow grinned.

"You healed up pretty fast, or are you immune to pain?" asked Chad as he watched Grimmjow stretch his arms.

"What's pain?" joked Grimmjow. He brought his arms down. "I still feel the bruises, Chad, but I don't care about those. My honor and dignity hurt more when they were ripped off of me." He inhaled and exhaled a large breath. "Alright. Let's go."

As Grimmjow and Chad left to search the building of Renji, Ichigo was walking with the wanted redhead toward the game room of the hotel. Renji had already showered and dressed into a green dress shirt and white capris with sandals, all chosen for him by Ichigo. Ichigo still wore his red shirt and black shorts.

"Wanna play some pool?" asked Renji. He took Ichigo's hand and squeezed it.

"Sure," responded Ichigo. He squeezed the other's hand back.

Renji smiled and said, "Try to take it easy on me, though. My geometry skills are at an all time low." He slipped his other hand into his pocket.

Ichigo shook his head and replied, "I'll try." When the game room came into his view, Ichigo asked Renji, "Want to make this game more interesting?" His eyes went to Renji.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Renji with a smile. He glanced at his lover.

With a smile, Ichigo replied, "Loser buys dinner."

"Hey, wait a second," reasoned Renji, "I don't need to feed you because of pool."

"I said, 'loser buys dinner,' Renji. You're making it seem like you've already lost," said Ichigo with a raised eyebrow. He loved challenging Renji, for he knew the other wouldn't back down without a fight.

"Huh?" realized Renji. He narrowed his eyes and said, "I didn't say all that."

Ichigo laughed, "I didn't say you did. You just seem to come to have an epiphany about the result of the game." _Silly Renji._

"Epiphany? Hey. I know that I can match you in a game of pool," defended Renji crossing his arms and pouting.

"You can be such an airhead sometimes, Renji," laughed Ichigo. He tapped the other on the back. "Don't get so serious." He walked into the game room with his hands in his pockets.

"Airhead?" asked Renji dropping his hands to his sides. "Am I really- whoa..." When he entered the game room, he gaped.

The game room was a large rectangular room with a swirling stairwell at the very center. Arcade games lined along the walls, and claw machines littered most of the right side of the room. The left side had all of the pool tables. Upstairs, guests could hear the clatter of pins and bangs of bowling balls. The walls were black and littered with glowing stars and posters. The floor was a gray carpeting.

"After all that cream crap in the hallways, the owner decided to change the color in the game room," commented Renji aloud.

"Renji," called Ichigo. When his lover looked his way, Ichigo held up two pool sticks. He saw Renji drooling at the large game room, and he had to admit that the amazed look was funny. As Renji walked toward him, Ichigo said, "You seemed spaced out over there. Did you fall in love at first sight with this place?" He laughed.

"I was not spaced out," countered Renji as he took his stick. "I was thinking." He followed Ichigo, who stopped at a pool table toward the back of the game room.

"About what?" asked Ichigo. He quickly bent over to retrieve the balls from the pockets on the pool table's side.

Renji bent his head as he stared at Ichigo's butt. He wanted to walk over toward his lover and grab the darn thing, but he couldn't. Renji learned his lesson a long time ago. He put his finger to his chin to reminisce about the event. He had been with Ichigo for a couple months when he grabbed the other's butt. The cuff was unannounced, so he got a black eye. Renji had to do a lot of apologizing, and he had to bring in the chocolate to quicken the process. _Let's see_, thought Renji, _the chocolate did reduce my begging to three days. Man, he was pissed. _

He also knew that Ichigo was a virgin, so the reaction was understandable. Renji just thought of Ichigo's still present virginity. Being the gentleman, he never brought the virginity topic. He didn't have to, for Ichigo had told him that he wanted to be married before he lost his virginity. Renji respected Ichigo's decision.

He loved that orange haired man more than anything. They've been together for some time. The relationship did come to an end at one point in their lives, but they got back together when things cooled down. Seeing how he couldn't live without the other, Renji was thinking about proposing to Ichigo, but he doubted the other would accept. Thus, he wanted to wait until the next month to propose. He was originally supposed to be off until then, but duty called.

"Spaced out again?" asked Ichigo. Renji blinked; he shook his head. Ichigo chuckled, "You sure you think when you're not blinking." He had already set up the balls on the pool table.

"Don't make fun of my thinking face," argued Renji.

"You must've been thinking really hard," retorted Ichigo with a smile. He walked over to Renji and poked him in the gut, making Renji giggle. "You're so goofy, Renji," said Ichigo. He walked toward the other side of the table. "You break first."

With a nod, Renji lined up his stick at the back of his hand and aimed his stick. With a strong flick of his wrist, he sent the white ball toward the others. The white ball made a crazy cracking sound as it broke up all of the others. He smile when two striped balls fell into the pocket nearest Ichigo.

"Hah!" cheered Renji.

Ichigo shook his head. He watched as Renji pocketed two more balls. After nodding his approval, Renji walked toward his side. Ichigo saw Renji set his sights on a lovely orange striped ball. Smiling, Ichigo grabbed his stick with his other hand, so he had a free hand nearest to his lover. As Renji took aim, Ichigo poked Renji, who yelped and sent the white ball off the table.

Ichigo laughed really hard. He had to turn around and hold his stomach.

"That was dirty," said Renji. When the other didn't stop laughing, he rolled his eyes and just smiled. "I'll get the ball, so you can recover from your laughing fit." He walked toward the other end of the table and bent down to look for the ball in case it rolled under the table. After seeing the ball wasn't there, Renji raised his head.

When his head was raised, Renji saw a hand holding the white ball out toward him. His eyes looked up and met a familiar set of blue eyes. _What the hell is he doing here? _he asked himself. Renji pursed his lips and quickly got to his feet. After glancing into Grimmjow's eyes again, he took the ball and muttered, "Thanks." He turned and went back to the pool table.

Ichigo noticed the exchange and recognized the blue haired man as the one Renji beat up._ Oh no. Not again. Doesn't guy learn after an ass kicking? _he panicked. Ichigo quickly walked by Renji, who met him halfway. He laid his hand on Renji's arm and whispered, "Just ignore him, Renji. I don't want you getting into another fight. You promised, okay."

"Renji," called Grimmjow. He has his arms crossed. "Renji," he called again. Grimmjow wasn't going to be patient about the fight he wanted. He would see that the fight happened.

The orange haired man pursed his lips. He didn't like the way Grimmjow was looking at Renji. Grimmjow had a determined set of narrowed eyes, and his lips were set in a tight line. The stance was worse: Grimmjow's arms were crossed and his legs were set wide apart. Obviously, the man was looking for a fight.

He glared at Grimmjow, who didn't seem to take notice of the look. Then, a sliver of movement behind Grimmjow caught the orange haired man's attention. Deciding to take a more careful look, Ichigo saw a figure standing at the entrance of the game room. As he peered closer, Ichigo noticed that there were actually two people. One was Shiro, and the other was Chad. They appeared to be having a conversation.

"Renji!" came Grimmjow's voice again.

Renji pursed his lips, but he kept his eyes on Ichigo. "Babe," he called to the other. Ichigo blinked and looked at him. "You wanna get outta here? This guy's not gonna leave me alone," said Renji.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Ichigo. Renji looked down. Ichigo did the same and noticed that the other was squeezing the ball tightly. Not liking the clutching, Ichigo took the ball away and set it on the table. "Renji?" asked Ichigo. _What is he thinking? What does he plan to do?_

"Look, babe-" started Renji.

"No," cut in Ichigo. "Let's just go somewhere else. I'm sure he'll leave once he sees you're not interested in his pestering." He pulled on Renji's arm.

"King!" came Shiro's voice.

Ichigo ignored his brother. "Please tell me you're not going to fight. You promised, Renji," begged Ichigo. He hugged Renji and looked up. "Please. Let's just go," he begged again. He tensed when Renji hugged him back tightly.

"King!" called Shiro again. Instead of standing back, Shiro walked into the game room until he got to his brother's side. "King," he said. "Come on. I'll treat ya t' some food. Let Renji handle his business." He waited for the other's reply.

"You can't do anything about this?" asked Ichigo to his brother.

Shiro shook his head and replied, "There's no threat about that dictates I should take action. I just heard that Mr. What's-his-name wants t' talk with Renji about somethin'. Nothin' that concerns me." His brother looked away. Shiro wanted to tell both of them the truth, but he was blind in all ways. He would not let his brother get mixed up in the fight, and he would not witness the fight, either. He just wanted to take his brother and leave.

"I'm sure he just wants to talk about some lawsuit," reassured Renji into Ichigo's ear. "Go with Shiro and wait for me." He pressed a kiss to Ichigo's forehead and let Ichigo go. He really didn't want to let the other go, for he always enjoyed holding Ichigo, especially when the other was not at ease. _I don't know what this asshole wants from me, but I can't swing. I promised Ichigo I wouldn't. _

With a gentle squeeze, Ichigo said, "Okay... Just don't fight, please. I don't want you getting hurt." He got on his toes and kissed Renji on the lips, then he let the other go. _Please be safe._

"Let's go, King," said Shiro. "Do ya feel for burgers or somethin' fancy?" When he gained enough distance from Renji and Grimmjow, Shiro muttered to Ichigo, "You shouldn't be worried about Renji. The other guy is the one who needs mercy." He frowned when his brother just looked toward the ground as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Ya know Renji," said Shiro with a reassuring smile, "his head is too hard to be busted. Oh come on. Ya know he's one of my prized soldiers. I trust him to do the right thing, and so should you." His brother sighed.

"I know he can fight, Shiro. I just don't like it when he does. I'm scared he might get hurt, or he might hurt someone else even worse," said Ichigo. When he looked forward, he saw Chad. "Are you gonna be here, Chad?"

Chad tried to lighten the mood with a smile. "Of course," replied Chad. "I'm to make sure these two don't go at it." Ichigo smiled at him. Of all things to love about his best friend, Chad loved his smiles. The reason was that Ichigo had a smile that could light up a person's mood in any situation. "Don't worry about anything, Ichigo. I'm here to make sure everything is alright."

"Thanks, Chad," said Ichigo. He patted Chad's shoulder and left with Shiro.

The tall man looked to Shiro, who looked back and nodded his head. _Keep him away, Shiro. Keep him away until this bloody fight is over_, thought Chad. He looked inward, and he realized how glad he was that the game room was empty. The only thing he had to do earlier was turn off the game room cameras. In fact, he found Renji due the help of the cameras. Thus, his job was easier. _I hope you know what you're doing, Grimmjow. Don't take this fight for granted and blow it. _

After Ichigo was clear of the room, Renji looked at Grimmjow and asked, "What do you want?" The question brought up a smirk on Grimmjow's face. Renji sneered in response. _What the fuck is wrong with this guy? After I pummeled him to a pulp, he still wants to come at me? He's got balls if he thinks he can come up to me with a stupid face on_, thought Renji.

"I just wanted to ask you somethin'," replied Grimmjow. He walked closer, stopping only a few feet away.

"Ask away," said Renji in an annoyed tone. He crossed his arms.

The blue haired man cracked his knuckles. "Would you be willing to fight me again?" asked Grimmjow. "I'm not talking about some little bullshit brawl. Where I come from, fighting is an art to be respected by all warriors. I want a fair fight, and as a respectable fighter, I am challenging you." He put his hands in his pockets as he awaited the other's answer.

Renji's lip twitched. _Gutsy bastard... _With a bored expression, Renji replied, "No."

Grimmjow clenched his teeth and pursed his lips. "Why not?" he asked. _Asshole! I ain't letting you get away like that. I want a fight, and I'll be damned if I don't get one. _

"I made a promise," answered Renji. "I promised my babe that I wouldn't fight anymore. Thus, my fists are to stay at my side." He crossed his arms to make his point more clear.

"Alright," said Grimmjow. _You'll let up. I'll make sure of it_, thought he. "What's it gonna take to get you to come off your high horse and fight me?" Renji didn't answer. "I guess I have to do things the hard way." Grimmjow took a quick step forward and punched at Renji, who side stepped to avoid the hit. He grinned.

_I told this asshole that I'm not going to fight, so why is he doing this? _Renji asked himself. He uncrossed his arms to avoid a high roundhouse kick. Renji didn't want to go against his word to Ichigo, and he didn't want to hurt this guy again. His eyes widened when Grimmjow developed a maniacal grin.

"Quit runnin'!" taunted Grimmjow. "You have somethin' that I want, and I'm not gonna stop until I have it!" He lunged again, making Renji roll away over the pool table toward the other side.

"Bastard!" growled Renji. "How dare you think about Ichigo in that way!" He was set low, so he could avoid any hit. At any time, the other would eventually get closer. _That bastard thinks he can treat Ichigo like a thing. I should-_

Grimmjow jumped over the pool table and hurled a volley of fists at Renji, who avoided the blows. With jab to distract Renji, Grimmjow threw a full forced fist at Renji's open chest. He grinned when his fist hit the smooth fabric of Renji's shirt. When Renji staggered back in shock of the blow, Grimmjow growled, "I ain't talkin' about Ichigo. I'm talking about my honor and dignity that you took from me earlier!"

Renji looked fiercely at the other. "I'm not fighting you. Get that through your thick skull," sneered Renji.

Enough was enough, Grimmjow had it with Renji's stubborn will. It was about time he gave Renji something worth putting up his fists. Grimmjow started to throw more blows and kicks. Renji caught his leg, so Grimmjow jumped up to both avoid any possible tripping and hurl his foot at Renji's face.

The kick landed on Renji's left cheek, causing him to let go of the leg and spin onto the floor. Renji felt his jaw with his hand, tracing and feeling for any damage. He wasn't liking this. He knew Grimmjow was drawing him in, and he would soon have to defend himself from more attacks.

_He keeps getting stronger_, thought Renji as he lifted himself onto his hands and knees. _Every damn punch and kick seems to get faster and more forceful. Had his kick been planned and stronger, he could have dislocated my jaw._ Renji moved his jaw to ensure he could continue.

"Fuckin' fight me!" snarled Grimmjow. He didn't want to do this, but he had to. Grimmjow took a step toward the downed SEAL and kicked him in the ribs.

Renji fell onto his side with a grunt. His hand immediately went to his ribs, feeling the damage. He looked up and Grimmjow with a sneer planted on his face. He had it.

_He wants to fight_? thought Renji, _I'll give him an ass kickin' he won't forget. _He got up halfway when he hurled his body at Grimmjow. He heard a satisfying grunt from impact. When Grimmjow hit the ground, both Renji and he grunted. Renji quickly sat atop Grimmjow's torso and started to hurl fists.

Grimmjow didn't think Renji would go for another pin, but that didn't mean he wasn't prepared this time. He used his free upper arms to block punches and return jabs of his own. Taking the risk, he sat up, scooting Renji farther away from himself. This gave him more of a chance to block punches to the face and abdomen.

_Can't let him up_, thought Renji as he dodged a punch to the temple. _Can't or he'll over power me with that damn speed. _Renji roared as he hurled a fist that landed on Grimmjow's chest.

His heart jumped from the impact. Grimmjow didn't know how he let that punch slip through. He realized that Renji was getting into the fight more. He could see it in the redhead's face. The man was practically staring daggers at his face, and the other was roaring with all of strong swings.

After blocking a couple more jabs to the face, Grimmjow used both arms to fling Renji's arms apart. He grinned at the open opportunity and speedily jabbed a few times at Renji's chest. When Renji swayed from the last punch, Grimmjow used both hands to push the other off.

Renji rolled onto his knees. He put his hand to his chest and coughed. His heart was pounding at a scary pace. All those punches to the chest were really hard; Renji knew that taking more blows like that would have disrupted his heart. He quickly got to his feet and put up his arms to better stance himself.

Grimmjow was liking the look on Renji's face. The man was obviously radiating anger and murder. Thinking quickly of a way to end the fight, Grimmjow remembered a move he learned to completely knock out an opponent. _Desgarron. It's been awhile since I've done that move on some poor sap_, he thought. "Sorry, Renji," said Grimmjow. "I gotta end this." He smiled cockily.

"I was thinking the same thing," replied Renji. Renji knew that Grimmjow was focusing way too hard, so he guessed the next attack would be strong and fast. _If I were him, I would aim for the temple or jaw_, thought Renji. _I guess I'll give him a run for his money. _

The blue haired man took a step forward. He was focusing all of his energy on his right fist as he stared at Renji's temple. He could feel Renji looking at him, too. With a wild roar, Grimmjow ran forward and hurled his right fist at Renji's left temple.

When the other had started to run at him, Renji clenched his left fist. He smiled, for he knew that this was the move he was most notorious for: the flaming snake. When Grimmjow threw his punch, Renji uppercutted his left fist into Grimmjow's jaw. Around the same time, both fists made contact with their target.

Renji's face snapped sideways, while Grimmjow's face snapped upwards. After the impact, both men fell to the ground, knocked out. Renji laid on his right side with both arms splayed forward and legs together. Grimmjow was on his back with arms at his side and legs spread.

Chad had watched the entire fight. He didn't know whether to be proud or concerned, for Grimmjow had fought fiercely with Renji whilst managing to knock out the other and be knocked out. He walked over toward the two forms and knelt by Grimmjow's body first. He checked the pulse on Grimmjow's neck. Being satisfied with the pumping heart, Chad shuffled over to Renji and did the same thing. He stood up.

_At least they didn't kill each other_, Chad laughed to himself. He leaned on the pool table behind himself and folded his arms. Sticking around a battleground with two hotheads didn't seem so bright, but he told Ichigo that he would stick around. His dark eyes shifted from body to body. _I'm not sure, but I think the person who wakes up first wins. _

The tall man had to will himself from kicking Grimmjow awake. He just waited. After a few minutes of waiting, Chad was still leaning against the pool. He was staring at Renji when he heard a gasp. His eyes widened; Chad looked toward the entrance.

At the doorway stood Ichigo and Shiro. Shiro looked calm, but Ichigo was wide eyed. _Oh shit_, thought Chad. He uncrossed his arms and shoved them in his pockets. He looked down at the ground, for he did not want to face Ichigo's fury.

Ichigo ran over to Renji and dropped to his knees. He rolled the other over and scanned his skin for damage.

Shiro walked next to Chad. He quickly whispered, "Glad this is over. Ichigo wouldn't stay put even for strawberry ice cream... So who won?" He was focused on Chad.

The taller man shrugged his shoulders. "We just have to wait for who wakes up first," he replied. Just as he was about to tell Shiro how this happened, he heard a groan. Chad looked at Renji, but the redhead was still knocked out. He then set his sights on Grimmjow, who sat up against a pool table.

"Fuck," complained Grimmjow as he rubbed his jaw. He looked up at Chad, who gave a weak smile. _Did I win?_ he questioned. Grimmjow looked to Renji and found the man out cold. He grinned. After shaking his head, Grimmjow hoisted himself up to his feet by using the pool table as leverage.

_I did it. I won. I fuckin' won_, thought Grimmjow. _I have my dignity back and my honor. Now I don't have to feel ashamed when I face Ichigo._ He sighed, but he winced when his jaw throbbed from the action. His eyes looked straight at Shiro and Chad. Shiro seemed indifferent toward the event, while Chad seemed a little concerned. Grimmjow didn't know if he should celebrate at the moment.

"Renji," called Ichigo. He tapped the other on the cheek. Then he saw a slight coloring on Renji's temple. He turned Renji's face, making his jaw drop at the sight. On Renji's temple was a huge bruise that looked like an animal's set of sharp claws.

Ichigo traced the claw like markings on Renji's face. _Marks of an animal from an animal_, thought he with narrowed eyes. With a deep breath and closed eyes, Ichigo did his best to keep his anger down. He rose to his feet. After opening his eyes, he turned his head toward Grimmjow, who seemed quite pleased with himself. Ichigo's eyes dropped blankly and his lips relaxed.

_All dangerous animals have to be taught a lesson at some point in their lives_, thought Ichigo.

"Ichigo," called Chad. He caught the relaxed look on Ichigo's face, and he was worried about the result. _Oh no!_ he panicked. "Shiro!" exclaimed Chad as he jumped out to block Ichigo.

Shiro caught the panic in Chad's voice and the movement from the corner of his eye. _Oh fuck! King! _he thought. He quickly went to help Chad, but the larger man was already knocked aside. He saw a fast fist coming his way, so Shiro quickly put up his arm to block the attack. Although he was defending a punch, he didn't feel it. Instead, he felt a high pressured hit on his abdomen, the most merciful blow his little brother could deal. Shiro fell onto the pool table in back of him with a hard thud.

The orange haired man wasn't finished. After kicking his brother in the abdomen, he spun on his still planted foot and landed the next round house kick in Grimmjow's chest, causing the man to grunt and lay sprawled on the pool table.

Grimmjow felt as if five Renjis hit him all in one spot. He coughed, for the wind had been knocked out of him. He felt a hand grab his shirt and lift him upwards. He used his hands to support his torso. He looked up groggily and came in contact with a pair of brown eyes. The brown eyes weren't soft; they were dark and deep. The eyelashes were in the form of black angel wings.

Even when enraged, Ichigo still seemed to have beautiful angel eyes. Grimmjow couldn't breathe at that moment. The kick's result just added to the caught breath as he stared into Ichigo's eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you have the eyes of an angel?" he asked absent mindedly.

The question caught the other off guard, causing him to blush. He blinked and shook his head, replacing his angry look. Ichigo snarled, "If you come near Renji again, Mr. Jaggerjack, I will personally rip you a new asshole! You got that?" His face was only a few inches away from the other man, but he couldn't feel any breath on his face. For good measure, Ichigo punched the man back onto the pool table.

Grimmjow held onto his jaw. _Damn! That boy packs a punch! Of all spots, why did he have to punch me in the jaw? _he inwardly complained. He raised himself back up and looked at Ichigo, who knelt by Renji again. He frowned. Ichigo was supposed to be his, but with something like this hanging over their heads, Grimmjow wasn't sure how he could get the other. _One fight down; one more to go._

Chad was sitting against the pool table when he heard the threat. At that point, he knew Grimmjow had more pressing matters to worry about than just Renji. Grimmjow would have to give more than he ever had before. _Grimmjow... You got a bigger challenge now._

Shiro witnessed the threat, for he was sitting on the pool table with an arm wrapped around his abdomen. _That's why I call you King_, he thought with a small smile.

**Author's note: **

**After writing this, I noticed that I have been in a violent mood...for writing, of course. I've written violence for all three stories that I've updated. I'm on a roll. **

**Sorry to all those who might have been rooting for Renji in the fight, but Grimmjow had to win this one. He was prepared. Some of you Grimmjow supporters are probably really happy right now. **

**In case any of you were confused, there is more than one pool table in the game room. I just thought of that minor detail right now. **

**Yes, there's more hurdles for Grimmjow, but I won't tell what they are. :)**

**So tell me, readers, what do really think? Don't hold back! Let it all out. I shall be your Dr. Phil for this chapter. **


	5. Cats Can Dance

**Chapter Five: Cats Can Dance**

Renji woke up with a groan. He laid his hand on his bruised temple and winced at the sudden pain. He couldn't remember the last time he was ever hit that hard. Not even Ichigo gave him that kind of punch. With a deep breath, Renji sat up in bed and opened his eyes.

All he could see was the dark, so he figured that the day had sunk to night. With that thought, Renji also figured that he was in Ichigo's and his hotel room. He turned his head to his left and could make out the small figure of Ichigo from the moonlight pouring in through their window. Renji had to smile, for the other was hugging at his pillow with a frown stuck to his face.

_Cute_, he mentally commented. Renji turned away from his lover and looked at the clock. His eyes shot wide when he noticed that the time read 5 a.m. "Shit," he cursed. Renji felt like throwing the nearest object. He had spent the rest of his day trying to recover, and the entire day was meant for spending time with Ichigo. _Fuck_, he cursed again, _I gotta leave in an hour. _He recalled his plane was to leave at 7 a.m., so he had to leave early to catch the flight.

Luck didn't seem to be on his side.

Renji inhaled a deep breath and sighed it out. He shook his head. The SEAL knew he should have stayed away from his angry urge, he knew that he should have walked away, and he knew that he messed everything up. Renji had to leave for duty, and he couldn't say anything to delay the time.

"I'm sorry, babe," he said aloud. He turned his head again to look back at Ichigo. "I'm so sorry. I broke my promise, and I feel bad about it. Next time, I'll just walk away from the guy," apologized Renji. He placed a quick kiss on the other's forehead and got up from bed.

He had to hang onto the bedpost to steady himself. After counting to three, Renji let go of the bedpost and walked towards the bathroom. He entered the little room and flipped the switch. Renji had to squint at first, but he gradually got used to the light. He relieved himself, brushed his teeth, and showered.

When Renji emerged from the bathroom, Ichigo was sitting up in bed. The redhead frowned, for Ichigo seemed to be crying. Ignoring his half naked state, Renji walked to his lover and sat on the bed. "Babe-" he started.

"Don't," cut in Ichigo. He wiped away a tear and continued, "I heard your apology already, so you don't have to repeat yourself." He sniffled. Ichigo didn't want to think about the fight because he would see Renji's laid out form and Mr. Jaggerjack's amorous gaze.

The craziest part of the whole situation was the blue haired man's reaction to Ichigo. The orange haired man was completely thrown off guard by Mr. Jaggerjack. His words: _has anyone ever told you that you have the eyes of an angel?_ Ichigo didn't know what to say to Mr. Jaggerjack; the question seemed so random.

Ichigo audibly gulped. _He beat up Renji, and he had the audacity to ask me about my eyes? What the hell kind of man beats up someone's boyfriend and comments on his eyes?_ he pondered. _Isn't that like an insult, or some sort of mock?_

"Ichigo," came Renji's voice.

The other looked up, pushing away his thoughts of Mr. Jaggerjack. Ichigo touched Renji's face and ran his thumb over the bruise. Renji winced. Ichigo's eyes saddened. "Your bruise looks like claw marks," he commented.

Renji put his hand over Ichigo's, holding the other's hand in place. He loved feeling Ichigo's warmth, for it was like feeling the other's love rolling into him. "I guess that's what others might think when they see it," he said a little more lightly. He gave a weak smile.

Ichigo shook his head and withdrew his hand. He really didn't want to talk about the fight anymore, nor did he want to talk about anything having to do with the fight. Everything just seemed wrong. He and Renji were supposed to be happy on the trip, and they were supposed to help Rukia celebrate again at another party. But, Renji would have to leave. He would have to leave and serve his country.

Renji just pursed his lips and looked down. He couldn't blame Ichigo for being so upset. He could only blame himself for not keeping his promise. "I did try," he said. His eyes saddened.

"I believe you," came the response. Ichigo threw the blankets off of himself and kneeled near the other to give him a hug. After Renji embraced him, Ichigo gave the other a kiss on the neck.

Renji rubbed the other's back and quickly added, "Next time, I won't do something like that ever again. I don't want to hurt you."

Ichigo sighed and replied, "There won't be a next time."

"What do you mean?" asked Renji. His eyes looked at Ichigo's after he let the other go.

The orange haired man explained, "I gave Mr. Jaggerjack a hit he'll never forget." He looked down at his fingers and fiddled with them when Renji raised a brow.

"You kicked his ass?" asked Renji. He crossed his arms with a proud smile. "You went in fighting mode, didn't you?"

The other blushed and answered, "Well...yeah. But, I hurt him enough. He won't go near you ever again. I can guarantee that." He smiled bashfully at his hands, for he could feel a strong amorous aura coming from his lover. _Someone had to put that big guy in his place_, he thought.

Renji chuckled and lauded, "Nice. I'm guessing you gave him your famous roundhouse." The other nodded. "I love it when you get all protective," said Renji in a more husky tone. He leaned in and gave Ichigo a kiss on the lips.

Ichigo kissed back. When the other started giving more kisses, Ichigo said, "Don't you have a flight to catch?" He smiled when Renji pulled away with a curse. He chuckled as he watched Renji scramble around the room for his stuff and get dressed at the same time.

At one point, Renji fell on his butt trying to get his pants on; as a result, he wasted five minutes running after Ichigo for laughing. After the entire scramble, Renji was standing in front of the body length mirror across from the large bed and straightening out his uniform collar.

Despite the odd feeling from the fight, Ichigo could never stay mad at Renji for long. The other had a huge heart that he admired. Plus, Renji always made an effort to make him happy, so why keep the mood sour? Ichigo didn't know the reason, but he wouldn't let the fight get him down, especially when his lover was leaving for duty.

When the other was still admiring himself in the mirror, Ichigo had to say, "There's something on your back." He laughed when Renji turned around a few times to try to look over his shoulder. Renji hit himself in the forehead and turned his back to the mirror. When Renji saw nothing, he looked at Ichigo, who was still laughing at him.

"Hey," warned Renji, "you know I need to look good. Don't mess with me like that." He crossed his arms.

Ichigo wiped a tear away and wheezed, "Sorry. I just had to do it. I mean, did you see yourself this morning?" He giggled and held onto his stomach.

Renji rolled his eyes and smiled. To him, Ichigo was Ichigo, who just happened to be very goofy and lovable. He walked over to his lover and ruffled the other's hair. The other frowned when his hair was messier than usual. "Come on, babe," said Renji. "You wanna go with me to the front doors?"

"Duh," answered Ichigo. He got to his feet and smoothed his hair. "I'm not gonna see you for a while, so I should get the best good bye hug and kiss you can give." He smiled and walked around Renji to find his shirt.

"Hey, brush your teeth while your getting ready," called Renji. He ducked when a pair of shorts were thrown at him.

"Shut up," laughed Ichigo. He pulled on his shirt and ran to the bathroom, where he quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. He ran back out the bathroom door and quickly put his sandals on. "Ready," he announced. Ichigo waltzed by Renji and added, "All under five minutes, too."

Renji raised a brow and warned, "Don't get cocky. All you did was find a shirt and brush your teeth."

Ichigo wagged his finger and said, "At least my butt isn't sore." The other just shook his head. _I win_, he thought.

"Okay, okay. Let's get goin'. I don't want your brother yellin' at me for being late," said Renji. When Ichigo gave a puzzled looked, Renji explained, "I have to be down there to catch a ride with him at six. So..." He looked at his watch. "I got ten minutes to get down there."

"Worrywart," commented Ichigo. He started for the door and looked over his shoulder to ask, "Are ya comin' or what?" He opened the door for Renji to pass through with his stuff. As he watched Renji pass by, Ichigo thought of what he was going to do when the other got back. _Maybe I'll make him a pie or take him out to a nice place for dinner_, he thought.

When Renji was in the hallway, Ichigo went out and closed the door. He turned and followed Renji to the elevator. As they waited, Ichigo couldn't help but think of how proud he was of Renji. The man loved his country with a passion that only Ichigo's yankee brother could explain to him. To Ichigo, Renji was the embodiment of a perfect soldier. Of course, he wouldn't tell his brother that, for Shiro loved his country just as much as Chad and Renji combined.

The elevator doors opened, casting a glow that surrounded Renji. The mirrors just added to the godly look. When Renji turned, he just chuckled and held onto the elevator doors. He had caught his lover checking him out; at least that's what he thought. "Ya comin' in or what?" he asked with a smile.

Ichigo shook his head and blushed. He quickly made his way into the elevator. "You didn't see that," he quickly said. Ichigo looked around the elevator innocently.

Renji just shook his head and replied, "I saw it." He smiled when Ichigo stammered and rambled about not doing what Renji thought he was doing. Hearing enough of the excuses, Renji asked, "Were you looking at my butt? I honestly have been working on that part recently." He made the question sound so innocent.

Ichigo groaned and replied, "Forget that you saw me like that." He dropped his forehead on Renji's shoulder and muffled, "Quit thinking about it." He heard his taller lover laugh. He picked his head up and looked at the elevator doors. _Three. Two. One. _The doors opened with a chime of the bell.

Renji took Ichigo's hand and led him, along with his suitcase, to the front doors. When they were outside, Renji's case was taken to be put away in a black car. Renji focused on Ichigo. He gave his lover a tight hug. He released the other enough to give him a kiss on the lips. The kiss was passionate but short.

"Renji and King sittin' in a tree," came Shiro's singing voice. He quickly shut the car window when Ichigo came at him. He laughed as Renji had to restrain his little brother. Shiro quickly rolled the window back down and put on a more serious face.

"Look, King," started Shiro, "I'll be callin' ya when we get to base. So don't miss my call, or I'm comin' back t' kick ya ass."

"I doubt you'd lay a finger on him," said Renji with a smirk. "We all know he kicked your ass more than you can count." He gave a mock salute to Shiro, who just grumbled about who's tougher.

Ichigo crossed his arms and glared at his brother. He knew Renji was still listening, so he declared, "When he calls, I'm giving him the talk of his life." His right eye twitched.

Renji backed up slowly and said, "Don't hurt anyone while we're gone. Be careful, and don't talk to anyone you don't know. And, don't talk to that Jaggerjack guy. He's bad news."

Ichigo looked at him with a raised brow. "I doubt he'll come near me," he countered smartly. With a more lighter smile, Ichigo added, "You be careful, too, Renji. I love you. Now go be the tough soldier that you are."

The SEAL saluted Ichigo and made his way into the car. When Renji was inside, he waved at his lover, who just waved back. When the car started and turned to pull away from the curb, Renji sighed and looked at the floor between his shoes.

_I'll miss my babe_, Renji sadly thought.

"Renji," called Shiro. When the redhead looked at him, Shiro frowned and announced, "We gotta talk."

After the car pulled away and vanished in the throng of traffic, Ichigo felt his heart drop. Granted he still had Rukia to keep him company and Byakuya to bug, he just wanted Renji to be there, too. "See you 'round," mumbled Ichigo in a sadder tone. He turned and went back inside the hotel.

Being a little down, Ichigo was walking with his eyes focused on the scarlet carpet put out that day. He kept walking in the direction of the elevator, but he didn't know what was to happen. Ichigo's dropped gaze made his face hit a hard surface and fall. He landed on his butt and finished off on his back.

"Ow," he groaned. Ichigo grimaced as he sat up and rubbed above his sore bottom. He looked up and gaped at the person he bumped into. The man just had to be Grimmjow Jaggerjack.

Grimmjow didn't see the other coming, either. Why? He was busy looking down at a hand pocket mirror quietly scolding the large bruise on his jaw line. When he made impact with Ichigo, the mirror fell and closed, and he stumbled backwards. He was about to cuss out who walked in his path, but his angered face melted at the sight of Ichigo, the one with angel eyes.

The blue haired businessman blinked and shook his head. He lent a hand out for Ichigo to grab. The other just stared at him. Grimmjow cleared his throat and apologized, "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Here, let me help you up."

Ichigo snapped out of his stupor and replied, "I'm fine. I'll get up myself." He got to his feet and dusted himself off. He looked at Grimmjow and added, "Thanks anyway." He walked away and almost dove into the opening elevator. He didn't want to be near the other; the atmosphere just turned awkward.

The orange haired man didn't want to sit there and explain why he was frozen in place for ten seconds. All Ichigo could really look at was Mr. Jaggerjack's style of clothing and how Mr. Jaggerjack's muscled chest was showing. If Ichigo had to be honest, he kind of drooled at the sight. Thus, he had to seem colder than usual to respond to the blue haired man.

Grimmjow's choice of clothing was a white sweater that was unzipped with a high collar. He had a blue v-neck shirt that shimmered like silk and showed his collarbone and part of his pectorals. The white slacks didn't do any more justice than the black dress shoes he wore. His hair just topped everything off with it shiny and messy style.

Ichigo quickly slapped himself. _Quit thinking like that, Kurosaki_, he scolded to himself, _the guy is just a prick with a great body and great hair. He hurt Renji, and he insulted you by associating your eyes with a heavenly being. Dear God, he still looked good. That bastard!_

Grimmjow sighed and picked up his mirror and slipped it into his pocket. Every time he saw Ichigo, his gaze was directed to Ichigo's eyes. He couldn't stop staring at the sparkle they created, and he couldn't help but include his angel wing lashes in the image.

_I have to see him_, he thought. _I have to establish some sort of relationship with Ichigo before I lose him permanently. I know he's not staying at this hotel forever. _He looked up and caught sight of Chad's bar. _He'd know what to do. _He checked his phone, and the screen flashed 6 a.m. _Chad wouldn't be here early... Would he?_

Although Grimmjow was sure that Chad wasn't coming in for another hour, he still walked toward the bar. As he walked, he thought of Ichigo. The orange haired man was wearing the same shirt and shorts the day before. He guessed that Ichigo must've just woke up. Plus, the hair seemed to be more of a mess than spiky.

_Okay_, he mentally snapped, _you gotta have something to say. What would I say to Ichigo? Hi? How's your boyfriend's head? No... How about something casual? Gentle? Regular? Apologetic?... Damn it! I'm fucked. I'm really fucked! How the hell am I supposed to start a conversation without getting on Ichigo's nerves?_

Grimmjow stopped when he was in front of the bar doors. He would look past the glass, but the glass turned out to be tinted. Why Starrk wanted tinted windows was beyond Grimmjow's list of reasoning. He took hold of the right golden handle and pulled. The door opened, so he looked past the dark wooden frame. The bar wasn't lit, so he knew that Chad wasn't there. He sighed and pushed the door before he heard a voice.

"You can come in, Grimmjow," came Chad's deep voice. He reached out and flipped the light switch at his bar.

A bunch of lights glared brightly at Grimmjow, who had to shield his eyes. The lights were all gold and lined along the mirror and interior of the bar. Because of the bright light, Grimmjow could see that Chad was wearing a purple collared dress shirt, which was rolled up at the sleeves, with black dress pants. The black apron helped pull of the bartender look. To add on to the glow, Chad's hair had bits of glitter.

"Is that glitter in your hair?" asked Grimmjow in an amused tone. He made his way into the bar. As he walked past tables, he noticed that all the table tops were black with, what he could make out, little lightbulbs in the glass.

"Helps me look shinier," explained Chad with a smile. He reached behind himself and pulled a bottle out, and his other hand pulled up a glass with ice in it. With a few flips and tosses, Chad made a blue drink for his friend. He sat on his personal stool as Grimmjow took his own seat.

"Shinier?" questioned Grimmjow. "For what?" He took the drink and laughed at the color. "You're really funny," he commented. He took a sip, and he sighed happily after the cool liquid slid down his throat.

"There's going to be a party today," answered Chad. "Byakuya Kuchiki rented out the place for later, so I just started up the decorations he wanted." His eyes swept around the entire bar area.

"Party?" repeated Grimmjow.

"Are you a parrot now?" asked Chad as he leaned on his forearms.

Grimmjow laughed and shook his head. "No, but methinks that this party is another one of Kuchiki's celebration ideas."

"Bingo," said Chad. "So what did you really come in here for? What did you want to talk about?" He laid his chin in his right palm. Chad already knew what the other was there for, so he wanted Grimmjow to say it.

The other frowned and replied, "I came here to talk about Ichigo."

Chad threw up his hands and said, "I knew it." He really liked Grimmjow, but the man seemed to need his hand held a lot. Chad didn't mind offering advice or listening to Grimmjow, but Grimmjow needed to know when he had to deal with things on his own. _Time to tell the little guy to be a man_, he thought.

"Come on, Chad," begged Grimmjow. "You know I'm willing to try hard, and you know you're the only one I can talk to." Grimmjow was willing, but he's been out of the game for a while, the "dating" game. "I need to talk about dating again. I find myself weak at the knees when I'm near Ichigo, and I can't seem to think of what to say to him."

"Grimmjow," started Chad, "you know I'm willing to be helpful in any way possible, but you gotta know when to take the lead on things." He received a frown. "You know how to talk to people. Why do you need me to tell you what to do?"

"I'm not asking you to tell me to do," countered Grimmjow. "I want you to give me some advice on how to start the conversation. I'm being serious. I can't think right around him. Granted I've only talked to him a couple times, but those few times, I just got stuck looking at his eyes. And, I can't think straight with him blinking them at me."

"His eyes?" asked Chad. "Well, looks like the romantic is back in town. Are you sure you're okay? You got hit the head quite good...Twice I may add."

"Chad," warned Grimmjow.

The taller man just chuckled and waved off the other. "I'm just messin' with you." He sighed after chuckling a bit more. Chad sat up straight and added, "Look, just be yourself. Not your player self, or you'll scare Ichigo away. Just be you. Get him to talk. Make him feel important.

"I'm sure after this whole fiasco, Ichigo feels like a piece of meat in your perspective. Ask him questions. What's his favorite color, for instance, or what was his major in college. Get to know him.

"And, when the time comes, talk about yourself. Open up like you want to. And, For God's sake, don't mention your sex life, and don't talk about yourself like you're the business hot shot you are. You don't want to seem cocky because Ichigo will knock that out of you in different ways."

Grimmjow nodded and replied, "Different ways?"

"His words can punch you just as hard as his fist," explained Chad with a sly smile. When the other sighed, he patted Grimmjow on the shoulder and reassured, "You'll be fine, Grimmjow. You're invited to the party, right?" Grimmjow shook his head. Chad just frowned. With a few taps to his chin, Chad suddenly beamed with, "Do you know how to mix drinks?"

"Does a panther walk on four legs?" asked Grimmjow. He looked up at the other with a huge smile. He knew what Chad was doing for him, and for goodness's sake, he'd take the chance. Luckily for Grimmjow, he knew how to make drinks. _Thank you, college! _he inwardly cheered. _Good times. _

"Great," said Chad. "See you at six."

Six p.m. on a Sunday night...

Ichigo rolled his shoulders and pulled at the collar of his dress shirt. He was told to look dressed for a grand night, so he was dressed as such. His dress shirt was black, and his dress pants were black. The shirt was opened enough to show just his collarbone, and the pants were supported by a black belt. His shoes were black, too. The only colorful items on Ichigo were the golden skull hanging on a gold chain around his neck, the gold studs on his ears, and the golden ring on his right hand.

He let out a breath of air and said to the mirror, "You're ready to rock." He leaned in towards the mirror to check his eye liner. He felt the one makeup item made his eyes stand out more. _Great_, he mentally congratulated himself.

"Ichigo!" came Rukia's voice.

Ichigo winced when the girl banged on his door.

"Ichigo! You've been in your room longer than I've been in mine," complained the small woman.

With a shrug, Ichigo skipped to his door and opened it. Outside was little Rukia in a red dress that flowed like a tulip hung upside down. Her arms were crossed with a small handbag in one hand.

Rukia cocked her head, making the diamond earrings sway. Her eyes looked Ichigo up and down. "You clean up nice, Kurosaki," she commented. She sniffed the air and added, "Nice cologne." She peered closer at Ichigo's face and said, "You're missing something."

The woman reached into her handbag and pulled out lip gloss. When she brought the stick in front of her face, Ichigo backed away.

"What are you gonna do with that?" asked Ichigo pointing at the lip gloss.

Rukia frowned and said in a matter of fact voice, "I'm going to put some on you. You don't look right without some shine. You don't want to look dull at the party, do you?" When Ichigo sighed, Rukia added, "Plus, I think you'll be able to get someone to dance with you, or you could have fun and tease some guys."

The woman changed her sour face to her happy face. She beckoned for Ichigo to come closer with her finger. When the man obeyed, Rukia pulled out the lip gloss stick and wiped it across Ichigo's bottom lip.

"Now rub your lips together," commanded Rukia as she put the lip gloss away. When she looked back up, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Wiping away a fake tear, she commented, "You look like an angel sent down from heaven." To her, the gold and gloss made a great combination that lit up Ichigo's feminine features.

"Shut up," pouted Ichigo.

With a dramatic sigh, Rukia suddenly said, "Okay, let's go." She pulled Ichigo out of his room and closed his door.

As Rukia led her friend down to the party, Grimmjow was getting the basics of how the bar was going to function.

"I'm the head bartender," said Chad gesturing to himself. "When people ask you for a drink, you make it and smile. Don't get snappy, don't start a fight, and don't refuse to make a drink. If you want, socialize with people, but don't fall behind. People do get cranky when they don't get their drink fast enough. Now that you're informed, you'll be handling the right side of the bar."

Chad pointed to mirrored back and said, "That's where all the hard stuff is stacked. When a customer asks for a shot or drink involving it and the customer looks too young, ask for an ID. We cannot serve underaged people." He raised a brow when Grimmjow gave him the "no duh" look. "I mean it," he said.

When the first pair of people walked into the area, they headed for the bar. "Showtime," announced Chad. He pushed Grimmjow to his end of the bar and went to man his station.

Two hours into the party, Grimmjow did not see Ichigo. Despite the fact that the crowd of people was huge, Ichigo had to come to the bar for a drink sometime, right? Grimmjow was sure that Ichigo would come for a drink at some point, especially when almost everyone was dancing. He was sure that he served more than a hundred people within the time, too. How could Ichigo not be one of the hundred people?

Just as Grimmjow was going to give up hope on ever bumping into Ichigo, the crowd suddenly roared to life. As he made a long island iced tea, he looked around the roaring crowd to find the commotion. His blue eyes finally landed on the doorway, where the light glowed in contrast with the bar's darkness. In the light, stood Rukia and Ichigo.

Grimmjow didn't think the other would look any better. Ichigo's hair was practically shining like a huge halo, and his lips and face were glowing in a god like manner.

_He's beautiful_, thought Grimmjow as he handed the iced tea to the respective customer. He smiled in Ichigo's direction, making himself look like a lovestruck teenager.

"Grimmjow," came Chad's voice over the roar of the crowd.

The blue haired bartender looked at his friend with his lovey dovey eyes and hummed, "Hm?"

Chad shook his head with a smile and said, "This is your chance. Don't blow it." He turned back to a customer, who was asking for five shots to share with friends.

Grimmjow's eyes widened. He had seemed to forget why he was bartending in the first place, which he could thank Ichigo for. He stood upright and quickly wiped away the watery circles on the bar top. He did not need his appearance messed up by a watery bar top.

He looked up and saw Ichigo and Rukia making their way towards him. Grimmjow cleared his throat, wiped his hands, and quickly prepared two cups, just in case both wanted a drink. He quickly whirled when another customer called for him.

The man was tall with white hair and red eyes. He leaned on the bar top and said, "Name's Kariya. Give me a Kamikaze with you on the side."

Grimmjow frowned. _Is this guy serious? _he thought. "Kamikaze coming up," he replied. Grimmjow went to shaking up the vodka and other liquids, then he poured it in a shot glass. He passed the glass to Kariya, who was still eyeing him. The red eyed freak was annoying him.

As kindly as possible, Grimmjow asked, "Can I help you with something?"

Kariya just smiled and answered, "I asked for you on the side."

_He was serious_, thought Grimmjow. _Well, that's just sad. _He sighed and said, "I'm not interested. Sorry." He saw Kariya move to say something when another voice called for him. Grimmjow quickly turned away and thanked God for helping him at the moment. _That Kariya guy is definitely the embodiment of bad guy with worse pick up skills._

Grimmjow answered the caller, "What can I get ya?" His eyes shot open when he was staring at Rukia and Ichigo, who was pretending to look elsewhere. Grimmjow didn't know why the other was looking away. He showered again, and he put on all black. So what's the problem? Then the memory of the fight came back. _Shit_, he mentally cursed.

Rukia smiled at Grimmjow and requested, "One long island and a black velvet." She looked back at Ichigo and hit his shoulder. "Stop looking around like an idiot," she whispered up to the other, "the bartender is cute as fuck!"

The blue haired bartender got to work on perfecting the drinks. He wanted to make the best impression possible. Grimmjow made the long island and the black velvet as quickly and cleanly as possible. When he finished, he presented the drinks in clean glasses. "One long island and a black velvet," he said and handed the drinks to Rukia.

Ichigo took the black velvet and sipped at it. Rukia did the same with her long island.

"This is good," lauded Rukia. She put the drink down, reached into her purse, and pulled out some money. When she saw Grimmjow finish serving another customer, she reached across the bar top and tugged him to her by the collar. She put the money in his shirt pocket and said, "In regards of Ichigo and me." She let him go and turned to her friend with her drink.

"Have you no shame?" asked Ichigo. "What would your brother say if he saw you grabbing men like that?" He cocked his hip and leaned against the bar top.

"Last I remembered, you're here to get drunk with me and dance with guys, not mother me," said Rukia in a snappy tone. "Now, how about you get that bartender to dance with you."

Ichigo almost choked on his velvet. He frowned at Rukia and stood up straight. He quickly pulled the girl aside and explained to her why dancing with Mr. Jaggerjack was a bad idea.

"Grimmjow Jaggerjack?" asked Rukia. "Even better. Someone here needs a sugar daddy to rent for a while." It's not like the information went in one ear and out the next, but Rukia couldn't see how Ichigo didn't recognize Grimmjow's feelings towards him. She caught that piece when he mentioned being "insulted." To her, Ichigo was super oblivious and hard headed when he sees details.

"Rent?" asked Ichigo. His right eye twitched.

"Don't get snappy with me, Kurosaki," snapped Rukia. She recognized the eye twitch. "You know that'll I'll bitch you out this bar if you even say a bad word." Her tone was warning him to the fullest.

Ichigo remembered the last time he pissed her off. They had a huge girl fight that lasted for three days straight. Who won? Rukia Kuchiki, of course. With a sigh, Ichigo held up his hands in truce.

Rukia nodded her head in triumph and said, "Go dance. Now!" Before Ichigo could move, Rukia took hold of his arm and added, "With him." She pointed at Grimmjow. If Ichigo wasn't going to see how being absolutely ignorant of Grimmjow's presence was rude and childish, then she would make him try to understand via dance.

As Rukia was still talking to Ichigo, Grimmjow was getting orders back to back. He already passed out twenty shots and ten drinks. To him, that was way more than what he served back in college. At least his college friends said thanks.

Just as Grimmjow was about to mix up another long island, he was grabbed and pulled back. Grimmjow growled and turned to give whoever grabbed him a piece of his mind, but he stopped when he noticed the man was Chad.

"Go take a break," said Chad. In reality, Chad wouldn't have given Grimmjow the break. Why? For the sake of giving Grimmjow a bit of a lesson to be more attentive and gentle to others who could be super slobs. He only let the other go because of Rukia, who had asked him to release Grimmjow of duty. She wanted the blue haired bartender to dance with Ichigo. Chad actually perked up at the request and immediately sprang into action.

"Thanks, Chad," said Grimmjow. He wiped his hands and exited the bar. All he wanted to do was sit somewhere and mope a little. When he spotted an open seat, Grimmjow was thrilled to have some time to relax, but that trance was broken. He was spun around.

"What the," started Grimmjow. He looked down and saw Rukia, who was smiling at him. "Can I help you?" _This is the girl that made that deal, right? She seems so small. How didn't I recognize her at first?...Oh duh. Ichigo was my main damn focus._

"I'm Rukia Kuchiki. Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jaggerjack. I've heard great things about your company. I'm not here to talk business, though. I've come to ask you to dance with my friend, Ichigo," she said. The woman pointed at Ichigo was standing awkwardly by some other dancers, who were trying to pull him in.

"Dance with him," commanded Rukia, "and I'll talk sweet business with you tomorrow if you like." She twirled and walked away.

_Holy crap_, thought Grimmjow, _the Kuchiki twerp just basically handed me my chance. Yes! A dance. A dance will help... I hope so. I just hope he doesn't hit me in the jaw again, either. _Grimmjow rubbed at his jaw and winced at the sudden pain. He quickly ignore the pain, gulped, and cautiously made his way toward Ichigo, who managed to turn down more people. Grimmjow took in deep breaths to calm himself. _God, when did I start to repeat puberty? _

Ichigo turned away from some creepy red eyed guy after rejecting his offer to dance, and he was met with a pair of blue eyes. He quickly looked away to look at Rukia, who harshly gestured for him to man up and dance with the guy. He really didn't want to. Renji asked him to stay away, and his instinct was telling him to stay away. But, a little conscience named Rukia was commanding him to dance with Grimmjow.

Grimmjow was in awe. Up close, he noticed the eyeliner outlining Ichigo's angel wing lashes, and he noticed the lip gloss making Ichigo's lips shine. Overall, Ichigo looked even more beautiful up close. He wanted to kiss the parted lips that were still ajar in nervousness, and he wanted to stare into the glittering doe eyes.

"You wanna dance?" spoke up Grimmjow.

Ichigo sucked in his breath and nodded his head. A new song started up, and he recognized the song. The song was completely old school, too. The only reason he remembered the song was that Chad listened to it all the time back in their high school years. The song was "Angel Eyes" by Lime, the musician was a favorite of Chad's. He had only his old high school teacher, Urahara, to thank for reintroducing the music to him and his friends.

As Ichigo swayed to the music, he looked to the DJ booth, where Chad just so happened to be leaving. _How convenient_, he thought. He shook his head and began to move his body to the fast beat.

Grimmjow was loving the way the music made he and Ichigo move together. He could feel Ichigo molding to his every move and swaying with him. Then, he felt as if the song was picked just for him, for the singer sang, "I wanna see your angel eyes." At the moment the singer, Lime, repeated the verse, Grimmjow realized that he was falling hard. Falling hard for the boy with angel eyes.

**Author's note:**

**Man, you all should let me know when to stop. My fingers seem to type without a break. I guess I can blame myself for being excited with ideas and typing the whole chapter in one day. Hahaha. Yo soy pendeja sometimes. Like my Spanglish? lol**

**Anyway, I wrote a lot in this chapter (not only 'cause my fingers were being hypes) because I didn't like cutting off the story at random parts. Random cuts, to me, are not attractive. **

**And! Grimmjow's dancing with Ichigo. We can all thank Rukia for giving Grimmjow his chance at bonding with Ichigo. The dancing scene is what inspired the title. :D**

**Yes, Renji is gone. Don't worry, we'll be revisiting him soon. That's if any of you are really worried about him.**

**I hoped you all liked this chapter, though. You all can thank my hyper fingers; they really get the words on the page. :) lol**

**See ya! **


	6. The Ocean

**Author's Note: **

**Thank you all for supporting this story. :) Plus, the song "Angel Eyes" by Lime is real. You can look up the song on Youtube. Just know it's old school. **

**Chapter Six: The Ocean**

After the song ended, Grimmjow felt high. His mind was dazed with Ichigo; every detail was in his mind. He remembered the smell of lavender from the other's cologne, he remembered the slight feel of Ichigo's skin from accidentally touching the other during the dance, and he remembered the glittery look in the other's eyes from the small lights on the tables.

His high went down when he noticed Ichigo walking away. Grimmjow opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't speak. His voice was caught in his throat, and his lips refused to move. His heart was pumping wildly. He was still nervous.

_Think quickly, Grimmjow. Ichigo's walking away, and you haven't established anything. You two aren't even acquaintances_, the smooth conscience told Grimmjow. _Get your sorry ass out there and talk to Ichigo. You remember what Chad told you. Now start walking, or you will have blown your chance._

"Shit," Grimmjow cursed quietly. He inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and chanted that he was ready. He looked over the crowd of dancers and spotted Ichigo walking toward Rukia. Grimmjow wanted to stop Ichigo. No, he needed to stop Ichigo. He needed to show Ichigo that he wasn't the asshole he made himself seem. He needed to show Ichigo that he's more. To do all that, Grimmjow needed to spend more time with Ichigo.

The blue haired man walked around people and shoved when he got shoved. Ichigo was only a few feet away, so a dancing pair of jerks weren't getting in his way. Grimmjow finally got in position behind Ichigo and hesitantly said, "Ichigo."

Ichigo heard Mr. Jaggerjack say his name. The deal was to dance with the blue haired asshole; Rukia said nothing about talking. He stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look over his shoulder. "What do you want?" Ichigo asked coldly. His eyes narrowed.

Grimmjow cleared his throat. Talking to Ichigo was going to be hard, especially with Ichigo's attitude toward him. "I wanted to thank you for dancing with me," replied Grimmjow. He mentally scolded himself for sounding so pathetic.

The angel eyes softened. "You're welcome," said Ichigo. Though his voice was still cold, Ichigo tried his best to sound nice. He turned and continued to walk toward Rukia.

The black haired girl saw Ichigo coming her way with Grimmjow behind him. She figured that the two were getting along better, so Rukia winked at Ichigo and took off with her long island. She quickly yelled, "Have fun, Ichigo!" Rukia turned away and disappeared into the crowd of dancers.

"Huh?" questioned Ichigo. He furrowed his brow in confusion, and turned in Rukia's direction. Thus, he caught sight of Grimmjow still looking at him. The fact that Grimmjow was standing so closely to him was annoying. Ichigo didn't want to the other so close; he didn't want the other to even be physically close. Every time he looked at the other's face, he recalled the bruise left on Renji's temple.

_Now I know why she left_, thought Ichigo.

The orange haired man turned to Grimmjow and asked, "Why are you still here?" He crossed his arms. He was looking straight at Grimmjow's face. When the other's eyes focused on his, Ichigo's heart skipped a beat. The other seemed to be gazing at him. The blue eyes, which were visible from the lights coming off of the table, looked to be longing. The eyes looked like sad, dark pools of blue.

Then, Ichigo remembered the other saying, _Has anyone ever told you that you have the eyes of an angel?_

Grimmjow was taken aback by the other's cold tone. From his observations, Ichigo was sweet, kind, and thoughtful. So he wondered why he was getting the cold side of the other. He understood that Ichigo was still upset, but he didn't understand why Ichigo would go to great lengths to deter him in a rude manner.

The blue haired man licked his lips and replied, "I just wanna talk." His eyes dropped, but his eyes were still looking up at Ichigo.

"You just want to talk," repeated Ichigo with a hint of distaste. His furrowed brow disappeared when Grimmjow dropped his head. He could still see the other looking at him with the sad blue eyes. _He's acting so shy_, concluded Ichigo. _Last time I met him, this guy was super confident in everything he did, even the way he looked at me. What happened to the cocky bastard who fought my boyfriend? What happened to the brave bartender? What happened to the smiling dancer?_

Grimmjow nodded his head. "I just wanna talk," he repeated. He threw in a small smile, hoping to persuade Ichigo to spend some time with him. When Ichigo sighed and nodded, Grimmjow wanted to jump for joy, and he did conclude, _I think I did hit puberty again. Son of a bitch! Am I really that nervous?_

Ichigo sat down and gestured for Grimmjow to sit across from him. The chairs were high, and the cushions under him were soft. He leaned his elbows on the table and looked at the table. He didn't want to look at Grimmjow. He didn't look at the other during their dance, and he dared not to look at the other as they sat.

Grimmjow took his seat, and he felt much better. His chest was churning and churning with excitement and anticipation. He tried to look at Ichigo in the face, but the other had his face looking downward.

_Looks like I'm starting this_, thought the blue haired man.

"How are you?" slipped the question from Grimmjow. He was sitting up straight with his hands tightly folded on his lap. _Smooth_, he cursed himself.

The orange haired man raised a brow at the other. He was expecting some smooth pick up line, but all he heard was a normal question. "I'm well," Ichigo replied. "And you?" He gained more confidence in his control of the situation, so he sat up straight and had one arm on the table.

"I'm great," said Grimmjow with a nervous smile. _I need to appear more comfortable and confident. _He continued to smile and leaned on the table a little bit. "You're a friend of Rukia's, right?" he asked.

Ichigo nodded. "We've been friends for a while," he said. He studied the other more. To him, Grimmjow was acting a little more confident around him. _Well, that's the only way a conversation even lasts_, concluded he.

"That's pretty cool," commented Grimmjow. "Have you visited Japan often?"

"This is my first time here."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How do like your visit so far?"

"Could've been better."

"What would you change?"

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow more seriously and answered, "I would change the fight you started with my boyfriend." His eyes were narrowed and his arms were crossed. He was serious now.

"Oh," mumbled Grimmjow. He looked down at the table and said, "I'm sorry about that."

The orange haired man was just staring at the other. He studied the blue haired man, who looked to be thinking about the situation at hand.

"I'm sorry," Grimmjow started again, "that I hurt you."

Ichigo shook his head and replied, "You didn't hurt me. From what I recall, you hurt my boyfriend, and I hurt you." He knew that he was being smart, but to him, the other deserved the response. _You think you can just waltz up to me and apologize? And, expect that I just say "okay?" Hell no! I'm gonna give him the bitching he deserves. _

Grimmjow bit his bottom lip. He was being a nervous wreck, so he was bound to be off guard for Ichigo's smart responses. _Damn... He's really gonna lay it on me. I can just feel it_, thought he. He could feel the tension building, and he could sense the anger swirling about him. The anger was emanating from the orange haired beauty.

"I know you're angry," said Grimmjow. He looked up at Ichigo, whose eyes seemed to be burning an angry flame. "But, I'm still sorry that I hurt you by beating up Renji." He didn't want to say "boyfriend." The word was just too strong for him.

The orange haired man just shook his head and countered, "I don't feel any pain or damage. Thus, your apology is unnecessary. I don't see why you are apologizing to me, anyway. You should be apologizing to Renji. He took the risk of getting in trouble with his superior officer to fight you. Being a SEAL is really important to him, serving his country is really important to him, and protecting others is really important to him. You must've done some fucked up shit to piss him off because I know that he doesn't fight for no damn reason. I hope you're fucking satisfied with yourself, Mr. Jaggerjack, because messing with a SEAL and humiliating him is really low." He leaned back in his chair with his arms still folded over his chest. His eyes were still narrowed at the other.

_Say something now_, Ichigo mentally taunted. _Say something, so I have a fuckin' reason to climb over this table and choke your dumb ass. _

To Ichigo, Grimmjow didn't stand a chance against him, for his attitude and fighting skills were merciless. The skills were developed during his childhood years in a tough neighborhood. He had lived in the gang infested part of Chicago, where he had to constantly defend himself from gang members and verbally outdo smart alecks. He eventually learned martial arts in a nearby studio because his father was worried about his safety, and he picked up his talking style from having numerous arguments.

Over time, even when Chad came along, Ichigo had been giving his all to show others that he wasn't to be messed with. He earned respect for his mouth and physical advantages, so gangs and other delinquents hardly messed with him. Although Ichigo had left the city for college in Virginia, his neighborhood attitude stayed with him, which showed others that he was both smart and tough. The added vocabulary didn't help his future victims, but Ichigo did appreciate the extra ammo for ignorant men and women he met.

Grimmjow was speechless. His mouth was ajar, and his eyes were glued to the table in shame. The other definitely gave him the verbal whipping he was expecting. He didn't know how to respond to that. Ichigo was right. Everything the other said was very right. Grimmjow could feel the shame overwhelming his heart and shrinking what was left of his ego. His body shivered, and his skin prickled from the emotion. Although he felt down, Grimmjow was also feeling his usual dose of fury.

Every fiber in his body urged him to retaliate with more colorful words, but his conscience warned him of making Ichigo an enemy. The blue haired man pursed his lips; he didn't like looking like a weakling. He wouldn't have it. If he was going to give Ichigo the real him, then he had to stop acting like a shy teenager and act like the man he was. He was Grimmjow Jaggerjack, owner of Pantera Inc, and he didn't take shit from anyone. Grimmjow really wanted to be nice to Ichigo, but the other's attitude was definitely not going to help him stay as the nice guy.

_Maybe Ichigo needs a dose of Grimmjow Jaggerjack_, thought he. _He needs to see that I am sorry, and he needs to see that I'm not some bitch he can just cuss at. If he's not going to be civil, I'm going to be just as bad. _

Grimmjow looked up with determination in his eyes, and he inwardly grinned when he saw Ichigo raise a brow at him. He sat up and leaned back in his seat, and he crossed his legs as he folded his hands on his high knee. He clucked his tongue and smoothly said, "If you don't like my apology, then you don't have to take it. I don't expect you to roll over and tell me that everything is alright. I don't expect you to shake my hand and leave with a fuckin' smile on your face. All I expect is for you to listen to me talk about what was goin' on.

"First off, I'm not apologizing to Renji. He swung first. All I did was defend myself. Second, I fought him the second time to show that bastard that he can't beat up guys he doesn't like. Third, he fuckin' took my dignity and honor when he wailed on me. Fourth, when I fought him, I took it all back. He humiliated me just as bad as I humiliated him.

"I don't care for pity or for shit. I won't take either one. I'd rather break my own ribs than receive any." Grimmjow just blinked when he saw Ichigo's right eye twitch.

Ichigo couldn't believe what he just saw and heard. The other completely transformed in under a minute. He thought he had the upper hand when Grimmjow just looked like a shameful dog, but he was wrong. Grimmjow was someone who wasn't going to give up so easily. To Ichigo, they seemed to be on par with one another.

_Okay, asshole_, thought Ichigo, _you wanna play hardball, then let's have a fuckin' marathon._

Ichigo sat up and growled, "Like I said before, Mr. Jaggerfuckingjack. You must've done some shit to piss off Renji. I doubt he just hit you for no reason, and I doubt you were talking about the fucking wallpaper in this hotel. Whatever you said, you should've just kept to yourself. If you had kept your big ass mouth shut, then you wouldn't have had to deal with Renji in his pissed off state."

Grimmjow uncrossed his legs and leaned on the table a bit to retaliate, "The bastard was basically degrading me as a man. I believe I told you that I don't take shit." He sat back with his arms stretching out for emphasis when he added, "Thus, I mocked him in return." When his arms were down and he was sitting back, Grimmjow growled, "Which led to our little scuffle in the hallway. You want to talk about Renji like he's some bad ass hero when he's really a fuckin' cunt who likes to pummel a man first. You're basically dating a fuckin' meathead."

The orange haired man gripped the table and snarled, "Renji isn't like that. He doesn't swing blindly. I know that for sure. Plus, I don't know who you think you are, but you're in no position to mock Renji's position as a soldier. He's been through shit that you can't think up in your dreams. He's killed men that were twice as pretty as you and twice your size. He's the pure fucking image of a true SEAL, a true soldier.

"Compared to you, Renji's a real hero, a real idol for others to follow. What do you have that makes you so much better than him?" He released the table and sat back in his seat with his lips pursed tightly. His anger was reaching a new level. The other's response was unjust, and Ichigo wanted to punch the other at that time. He wanted to hop out of his seat and send kicks at the other's chest and face.

His body was heating up with anger. The emotion rushed through his body in large waves. Ichigo was ready to make the fight physical.

Grimmjow wasn't liking the way the conversation was turning out. His conscience was scolding him with colorful words, too. _You can see it, Grimmjow. Look into his eyes. You see it yet? That's anger and frustration. The angel wings are becoming webbed and his eyes are becoming dark. You're treading into deep waters, Grimmjow. Do you really want to risk making an enemy out of Ichigo because of your pride? You're making a dumb decision, Grimmjow. He's going to take you out one way or another. Don't you remember what Chad told you? Don't fuck with him. Losing him is not worth keeping your fuckin' pride in one piece. Admit defeat or apologize. _

_Ichigo's eyes. You know you see them. They're darker now. Quit stalling with your damn hissy fits and make the situation better. You're making Ichigo angrier and less comfortable. Turn the fuckin' tables and correct the situation!_

As much as Grimmjow wanted to retaliate with something smart, he couldn't. His conscience was right. His thought process of the whole situation was extremely right. If he kept up his strong attitude, then he risked losing Ichigo.

Grimmjow's chest constricted. He had to apologize or do something.

"Nothing," said Ichigo at last. He recrossed his arms and added, "Pft. What a waste of energy if you're not gonna argue back." His eyes softened with indifference, and his arms dropped with victory. He got up and finished, "Have a nice fuckin' night." He pushed in his seat and turned away.

Grimmjow's heart jumped up and down in panic. Ichigo's turned back was a bad sign, the thing his conscience and himself were talking about. He quickly got out of his seat and grabbed the other by the wrist. He needed to keep Ichigo close. He was working his ass off for Ichigo and redoing himself for Ichigo. Losing the other due to his more angry side would not be accepted.

Ichigo froze when he felt Grimmjow's rough hand wrap around his wrist. He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. His free hand clenched in a fist and shook with fury.

_How dare he touch me? Who the fuck does this man think he is to think he can just grab me when he pleases? I'll show him a thing or two, and he'll know not to fuck with me anymore_, thought Ichigo.

The orange haired man pivoted back and swung his free fist at Grimmjow after turning. His fist was aimed for Grimmjow's nose. He wanted Grimmjow's nose to smash into his skull, to leave the other looking like a pig. He wanted to maul at the other's face with his fists, so that the other's face looked like it was tore up by an animal.

Grimmjow saw the fist coming, so he parried it with his arm. He quickly withdrew his arms to prepare for more blows. He could see them, Ichigo's eyes. They were dark with webbed wings, a result of his fury. He dodged a few jabs and parried a dozen punches.

Ichigo grunted and hissed every time he threw a punch. He was wearing the other down. He wanted to give Grimmjow the best roundhouse kick he could muster. So, he continued to punish the other with punches and jabs. Just as Grimmjow parried a blow, leaving his chest open, Ichigo took the opportunity and raised his leg. He focused his energy to pour into his right leg, and he swiftly swung the appendage at the other, nailing Grimmjow's exposed chest.

Grimmjow's breath was taken away when he felt Ichigo's leg come in contact with his chest. He sailed backward and breezed past a few dancers to land on the grounds of a balcony. He hadn't realised he burst through a pair of tinted doors because all he could really think about was the pain in his chest. His lungs were screaming for gentle air, and his heart was beating at a brutal pace.

The blue haired man sat up and held onto his chest. His breaths were short and ragged. _He fuckin' kicked me. Ichigo just kicked me! _He looked up when Ichigo stepped out and closed the doors behind him. When the other turned around, Ichigo went into his fighting stance.

"I didn't want people to see me beat you up too badly," announced Ichigo with a empathetic face. "Come on, Mr. Jaggerjack. Let's see if you really are as strong as you deemed yourself yesterday," taunted he. Ichigo had his knees bent and his arms up.

Grimmjow clenched his teeth and forced himself to his feet. He, too, bent his knees and put up his fists. "I'll show you that I'm not the pussy you think I am," growled Grimmjow. He circled Ichigo, throwing a few fake jabs in.

_If fighting you means that I'll keep your attention_, thought Grimmjow, _then I'll give you all I have to keep you from looking away._

Ichigo leaned away from the jabs and turned himself when Grimmjow tried to gain a better position. He took Grimmjow's movement to his advantage by kicking at him, causing the other to back up. Ichigo darted forward and tackled Grimmjow to the ground. He used his ringed fist to strike Grimmjow's face a couple of times before his fists were blocked.

Grimmjow used the blocking advantage to concentrate on getting Ichigo away. With a quick plan, Grimmjow threw off Ichigo's arms, leaving the other open for a millisecond. He quickly hurled both fists at Ichigo's abdomen, causing the other to gasp and roll off while holding his stomach.

His abdomen throbbed and complained in pain. Ichigo didn't like the pain; it reminded him of seeing Renji on the ground. The thought of Renji gave him strength. "Bastard," snarled Ichigo. He got up as Grimmjow rolled over on to his feet. Ichigo was done holding back his full potential to be weary. With a foot planted, he swung a less powerful kick at Grimmjow's ribs. When the blow was deflected, Ichigo retaliated by bending his knee to keep kicking at Grimmjow. With every progressing blow, Ichigo increased the strength.

The blue haired man winced when the kicks got harder and harder. His arm was starting to throb from blocking the kicks so much. Seeing that Ichigo might kick at him from the other side, Grimmjow prepared himself to catch a hard kick.

Ichigo kept his kicks coming. When he saw Grimmjow becoming worn from the kicks, he brought the leg down and hopped back up to kick with the other leg. When his left leg was on cue to hit Grimmjow's chin, he was caught by Grimmjow's quick arm. His eyes widened.

_Shit_, thought Ichigo.

Grimmjow growled and quickly moved in with Ichigo's leg still in place. He had to use one arm to deflect as many blows as possible. Instead of dropping Ichigo onto the hard cement, he shoved at the other until Ichigo's back came in contact with the wall near the tinted doors.

Ichigo yelped when he was smashed against the white brick wall. The edges of the bricks dug into his shirt, and he was sure his shirt tore a bit from the rough contact. He threw furious blows, but they were all deflected, and he was smashed against the wall again. Ichigo wouldn't give up, though. He would still fight.

Using his close distance from Grimmjow to his advantage, Ichigo started to aim his punches for Grimmjow's rib cage and chest. He knew that if he threw in enough punches, Grimmjow would have to let go, or Grimmjow's heart would be disrupted from so many blows. Thus, his arms wrestled with Grimmjow's free arm to gain the upper hand.

Grimmjow knew what Ichigo was trying to do. He wouldn't allow Ichigo to punch him in the chest. He squeezed Ichigo's leg to keep the other in place as he continued to wrestle Ichigo's arms. After a few moments, his arm was starting to throb from being used as a shield from punches. The punches were sending jolts up his arm that made his shoulder and bicep muscles protest.

He took a quick glance at either side of his body to see if there was anything he could use. His eyes brightened when he saw the railing along the balcony's edge, which wasn't too far from him. After deflecting a blow, Grimmjow roughly grabbed Ichigo and slammed him against the wall to gain some time.

When Ichigo yelped out from the pain, Grimmjow immediately shifted their bodies closer to the railing, where he placed his foot to bend his knee. As his knee bent up, Ichigo's leg rose, too. Thus, Ichigo no longer had control over his entire balance and left leg. Grimmjow also scooted his body closer, so that their pelvises were very close, keeping Ichigo from lifting his other leg to knee Grimmjow in the groin.

With his free hands, Grimmjow grabbed Ichigo's wrists and held them above the other's head. The other struggled, but Grimmjow kept his grasp on each wrist firm and locked. After completing his pin, Grimmjow took a moment to breathe. He noticed that he was sweating all over, and his body heat was sky high. He inhaled and exhaled deep breaths to calm down his heart rate and ready his body for the cool down.

As Grimmjow breathed, he also gazed at Ichigo, who was looking away from him. He noticed how Ichigo's hair stood out like a giant halo in comparison with the white brick of the hotel wall. The strands were glistening. His eyes wandered down to Ichigo's neck, which he saw was slender and feminine like. Then, he looked at Ichigo's face. He saw the glistening lips and the enhanced beauty of Ichigo's left eye.

_Beautiful_, thought Grimmjow, _he's just beautiful. How can someone with a face and eyes of an angel be so violent and rough tongued?_

Ichigo was panting. His back hurt, and he was sweating. He rested his head against the brick wall and inhaled the cool night air. He was done: he lost the fight he initiated. _Fuck _Taking a brave mental breath, Ichigo turned his head and narrowed his eyes at Grimmjow. He just frowned when he noticed the other to be out in space.

When Grimmjow moved a little, Ichigo realized the position they were in. He gulped. If another were to look at them, Ichigo would be embarrassed, for he would look like he was being taken against a wall. The position had to be stopped.

"You won," said Ichigo. He watched blue eyes focus on his. "You can let go of me, Mr. Jaggerjack." He felt heat rising to his cheeks when Grimmjow shifted, making the contact between their pelvises more intimate. Ichigo did his best to keep from blushing when he felt Grimmjow's dick through the pants. Granted that the other was relaxed and not erect, the fabric did nothing to hide Grimmjow's manly pride between his legs.

_Please move_, thought Ichigo. He mentally slapped himself when he thought about Grimmjow's size. _Please move away!_

Grimmjow shook his head. "Even though you still have some anger against me, don't call me Mr. Jaggerjack. Call me Grimmjow," said he. Grimmjow lifted his leg and brought it down, allowing Ichigo to bring his own down. He let go of Ichigo's wrists and stepped back.

Ichigo brought his leg to himself and rubbed at his wrists. The cool night air was helping him cool down from the embarrassing discovery and fighting. He looked from his wrists to Grimmjow, who was looking at him in a daze. The look on Grimmjow's face reminded him of Renji. The thought brought a small smile to his face, but he quickly put the smile away. He didn't want Grimmjow to get the wrong thoughts.

The blue haired man saw the small smile. He wanted to know what it was for and who it was for. He basically outfought Ichigo, so the smile couldn't be one of joy or satisfaction. He was sure that Ichigo wasn't happy with him, so the smile was definitely not for him. That last conclusion made him feel a little down. He wanted to ask about the smile. Grimmjow didn't want to make anything awkward, though, so he asked, "Are you okay?" Ichigo just nodded.

Grimmjow licked his lips and said, "Sorry." Ichigo nodded again. The nods were not enough for Grimmjow's questions. He wanted to hear the other speak. The quiet between him and Ichigo was very odd. Just as he was about to ask a question again, Ichigo cut him off.

"Why did you grab me?" asked Ichigo. The other looked dazed again. Ichigo just mentally rolled his eyes and inspected himself again. Being satisfied with his physical condition, Ichigo leaned against the wall behind him and winced. His back still hurt, so he only applied little weight on the wall. "You knew that I was angry...Grimmjow," added he, "so what gave you the gull to even think about touching me?"

The blue haired man felt his heart flutter at the sound of the other's voice. The voice was smooth and soothing to the human ear, and the voice made Grimmjow's skin shiver in delight.

With a nervous comb of his hair with his fingers, Grimmjow answered, "I couldn't stand to end our conversation that way." His fingers dropped, and Grimmjow stuffed both hands into his pockets. "I wanted to apologize, but you were walking. I thought calling you would be useless, so I grabbed you." He walked a little closer until Ichigo had to look up at him. He gazed into the sparkling eyes; they were no longer dark and webbed but light and feathery.

"I also couldn't stand to not see you, Ichigo. You're beautiful, and you're eyes captivate me. I can't seem to move away. It's like I'm hypnotized or frozen in place by just looking into them. You have the eyes of an angel," added Grimmjow. His hand went from his pocket to caress Ichigo's cheek. His thumb passed over the glowing skin; thus, Grimmjow realized that Ichigo's skin was baby soft.

Ichigo was frozen. The hand on his face didn't seem to exist when Grimmjow said those words. The words "angel eyes" echoed in his mind. Grimmjow's words echoed loudly and made him zone out. Grimmjow's previous question also rung in his head. His chest fluttered at the compliment, and his gut swirled with a positive emotion. He blinked and realized that Grimmjow's eyes were staring into his.

At that moment, Ichigo noticed that Grimmjow's eyes weren't just blue; they were blue, white, and baby blue. The colors swirled, so that the other's eyes seemed to have trapped an ocean in its reflection. Ichigo was lost in the other's eyes; as a result, his eyes lidded in a daze as he continued to sway in Grimmjow's gaze.

He blinked when he realized Grimmjow's hand was holding up his chin. His eyes widened when Grimmjow's lips hovered above his own. Ichigo held his breath, for he didn't want to be swayed by Grimmjow's masculine cologne and charm. His eyes never left the other's.

Grimmjow wanted to kiss Ichigo, but he didn't want to start off bad. He really wanted to feel the gloss covering his own lips, and he wanted to run his fingers through Ichigo's glistening strands of hair. He wanted to taste the other's neck and savor the flavor that was Ichigo. Still, he didn't want to start off bad.

Grimmjow dropped his hand and backed away. "I won't force you, nor will I try to," announced he in a low voice. "I shall see you soon, Ichigo." With those words, Grimmjow walked past Ichigo and entered the throng of dancers.

He made his way to the bar, hopped over the bar top, and started to serve people drinks again. Grimmjow didn't pay any mind to flirtatious people, nor did he pay any mind to the beautiful men and women. All his mind could picture was Ichigo's eyes in the light of the moon. He reminisced on how the other's eyes glistened and sparkled as the lashes wiped over with such grace.

His heart was racing just thinking about Ichigo. Grimmjow's heart even jumped when he realized that he just confessed to Ichigo. He knew that he didn't say his feelings directly, but he was sure Ichigo got the point, especially when he almost kissed the orange haired beauty.

_I hope he doesn't look away from me_, thought Grimmjow, _I want him to look at me the way he did on the balcony: standing with glistening hair and eyes as he looked into my own. Soon, I shall see you, Ichigo, and I won't be putting up my fists to get your attention._

Chad had seen Grimmjow jump over the bar top and serve drinks again. A bad thought came into mind, but he pushed the thought away. He could see Grimmjow was deep in thought, so he figured that the blue haired man made some progress. Chad served another customer as he thought, _I'll ask when he wants to talk about it. _

After Grimmjow left, Ichigo was still frozen in his spot. His eyes were no longer lidded, but his heart was still beating furiously. His gaze was still left upon the blue sky, where few stars shined alongside the moon. He remembered the captivating gaze. Blue oceans that made him get lost in his own mind.

Ichigo shook his head and leaned his head on his hand. _All he did was stare at me, and I'm thinking about getting lost in the ocean_, thought he with a frown. He recalled being told that he and Grimmjow would see each other again. The thought didn't sit so well.

Then, he thought about the kiss they almost shared. Tears welled up in Ichigo's eyes. _Renji, forgive my stupidity. I'll have to work harder at pushing that man away._

At the moment Ichigo was fighting Grimmjow, Renji was already on his plane to America, where he'd get his assignment and be deployed for combat. He thought about the confession made by Shiro. The confession was long and painful for Shiro, but Renji was listening the entire time. He didn't like the way Grimmjow threatened to report him to the authorities. Then, he had almost punched the car window when Grimmjow requested the second battle for personal purposes. To him, that personal crap was all bull shit.

He made sure to tell Shiro that he wasn't angry with the superior SEAL. He was mad at himself and Grimmjow. He should have walked away, and he should have just told Grimmjow to fly a kite. He didn't, though, so he was suffering the consequences: a nasty bruise.

Renji shook his head and leaned toward the window where he saw the dark waters of the ocean beneath him. He could make out the reflection of his bruise. He pursed his lips when he did recognize the mark as a sort of claw mark.

_Bastard_, he thought.

Although Grimmjow pissed him off, Renji wanted to only think about his Ichigo. He recalled Ichigo's laughs, smiles, and punches. His mind drifted from Ichigo to his half of Zabimaru. The knife would be the one to let Ichigo know what happened to him. Whether he came back with the knife or not, Zabimaru would be the one give Ichigo the official signal.

_Good night, Ichigo_, thought the redheaded SEAL.

**Author's Note:**

**You all basically witnessed Ichigo's and Grimmjow's mean side. Yes, they are scary. I scared myself just writing the darn argument. O.O Yes, I also made them fight. I know: shame on me. **

**Other than that, I thought the ending of the chapter was better. Ichigo is feeling something. Although, the feeling is really small. Grimmjow, on the other hand, feels a lot more. (Duh, Writer's-411, we already know that.)**

**Yes, we are still with Renji. **

**Lastly, sorry I took a long time to update this story. I meant to update a long time ago. I had company over for the last three days, so I was stuck trying to play nice host. :/**

**So, commenters, what do you think?**


	7. Battles and Baskets

**Chapter Seven: Battles and Baskets**

Renji woke up the next morning in a forest. He gazed up at the canopies of trees and blinked at the glints of sunlight coming from between the leaves. His heart was heavy, heavier than the pack and ammunition he had to carry. Renji remembered the day before, the day he arrived in the United States and left the United States.

He had requested that Shiro let him talk to Ichigo, but Shiro was just shocked and looking at the wall, where the phone cord was connected to the entire dial box. Shiro had looked at him and shook his head when Renji requested the phone again. Instead of getting yelled at, Ichigo cried to Shiro about being a bad man, fighting, and losing himself. When Shiro hung up, he told Renji everything.

Renji couldn't believe that Ichigo went and did all that. He couldn't believe that Rukia made Ichigo go to a party and dance with the man he hated the most. Renji just told Shiro to tell Ichigo that he was not mad, just disappointed, and that he wasn't going to scold Ichigo for anything. That was the truth.

The redheaded SEAL didn't know if Ichigo was okay with his response, for he had to leave. The assignment was urgent, for the entire base had detected that there was a terrorist threat amongst them. The threat had been traced to a jungle, where Renji was told that there was a camp full of soldiers getting ready to hit America with all they had.

Thus, Renji was currently still looking up at the canopy of trees. His red pony tail was spread about his head like a large fan. His uniform was covered in mud and grass, ensuring his camouflage was better. His eyes were painted over with black paint, and his hair was matted with bits of grass and leaves.

_God, I miss Ichigo. Please protect him and pour your heavenly blessing on to him_, thought Renji with his eyes closed. Then, he opened his eyes and sat up.

Renji nudged Shuhei Hisagi with his boot. "Get up," he mouthed. The other just nodded after looking at his officer and got up. Renji watched as Hisagi made his way around quietly and shook others awake. Hisagi was Renji's best friend on the field. He remembered how they got along and helped each other escape trouble, especially when Shiro and Chad were no longer at grunt level. They've worked with each other for years

When all were up and ready to go, Renji got to his feet and jerked his head for the others to follow him.

He crouched low every now and then to carefully inspect the environment. All he could see were thin tree trunks, layers of leaves on the ground, and no sign of landmines. When Renji was about to continue, he stopped, for he heard a faint crackle of twigs. He quietly ordered everyone to stay put as he moved ahead. He was crouched low with his rifle in hand. His head cocked from side to side as he looked for the source of the sound. When he heard the crackle again, Renji hid himself against a thicker tree and looked around the bark.

Renji's eyes narrowed when a small boy came into view. The boy was dressed in an explosive vest with a button in his hand. The boy was also barefoot and ragged looking. His eyes looked tired from the lack of sleep and love. The boy was looking around with a lifeless face.

Renji quietly gulped and put away his gun. He took out his army knife, which was sitting peacefully next to Fang. He felt his heart jump when the boy looked his way. He thanked God that the tree and camouflage were hiding him well, for the boy looked away and walked in a different direction.

_I can't kill a kid_, he thought, _it goes against what I do. I protect kids. Millions of kids. Why do I have to raise my hand against this one?_ Renji's eyes saddened. He put away the knife and crouched low. He continued to watch the boy walk away, for he wanted to be sure that his men could proceed without having to worry about being blown to bits.

When the boy was out of sight, Renji sighed in relief. _At least, I didn't have to take such a young life_, he thought.

He flinched when Hisagi grabbed his shoulder. Renji pursed his lips when he saw his friend's face. He knew Hisagi saw his encounter with the young suicide bomber, for Hisagi looked to be sweating and paranoid. Renji patted Hisagi on the shoulder and nodded his head.

He turned and took a step forward, causing a little twig to protest at his weight. Renji mentally cursed for making the sound. He hoped no one heard that, but his hope was not enough.

Renji jerked his head back when he heard running footsteps. His eyes widened when he caught sight of another little boy running toward the West side of the forest.

_Shit! _thought Renji. He grabbed Hisagi to go with him and hunt down the boy before the child could reveal their position.

As Renji was barely waking up, Ichigo was sitting up in his own bed. He hardly slept, so his eyes were ringed with darkness and his mind felt heavy. Though, his lack of sleep wasn't what bugged him. He was wondering about Renji. He felt childish for having his brother tell Renji about what happened, but he felt that he wasn't worthy enough to talk to Renji himself.

He heard a knock at the door, but Ichigo didn't want to get up. He laid back in bed.

"Ichigo!" came Rukia's voice. She knocked again. "Either open this door, or I'll bust it down!" She banged on the door once more.

Ichigo groaned and got to his feet. He lazily walked over to his door and opened it. He turned and walked back to bed, where he laid down again. He threw the blankets over his head and closed his eyes.

"Ichigo," said Rukia.

Ichigo cringed and muffled, "What?"

"You're still wearing your clothes from last night," she mentioned. She sat on opposite side of the bed. She observed her purple colored nails as she sat comfortably in her black skirt and white sweater.

"No shit," muffled Ichigo from under the blankets.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Ichigo's attitude. "You have to come out from under the blankets at some point," she added as she looked over shoulder.

"No I don't," answered Ichigo. He turned himself under the blanket. He loved Rukia; she was his best friend. But, he really didn't want the girl bugging him for something she might want to do. He felt he betrayed Renji by dancing, talking, and making contact with Grimmjow, so he didn't want to deal with anything that has to do with him seeming like a calm two timer.

"Yes you do," countered Rukia. She got to her feet in her high heels and clicked her way over to Ichigo's side. She got on her knees and rested her chin on the bedside. "Tell me what's wrong," she said.

Ichigo sighed and pulled the blankets from over his face. His face was glad to be rid of the building heat from the under the blankets; the cooler air refreshed his heated skin. He rested his head to look at Rukia and briefly explained everything. He made sure to include his first meeting with Grimmjow, Renji's fight, and the scuffle at the party. He explained every detail that he didn't tell her at the party, too.

"That's all that happened," said Ichigo, "and I feel like such a slut." He buried his face in his pillow.

Rukia nodded her head as her chin was still connected with the blanket. She puckered her lips in thought, and she quickly thought of a reasonable response that wouldn't upset her best friend. With another nod, the woman asked, "He didn't kiss you, right?"

"No."

"He didn't screw you, right?"

"No."

"Renji knows you're not interested, right?"

"Yes."

Rukia smiled and reached up to pet Ichigo's hair. "Then, you have nothing to worry about, Ichigo," she said with a smile. "So long as you didn't willingly go along with him and didn't feel or touch Mr. Jaggerjack in any amorous fashion, then you're fine. You're not a slut, either. I don't want to hear you talking like that again, or I'll be forced to slap you until you realize you're a beautiful person."

Ichigo blinked and smiled, for he knew the other was right. To him, Rukia had just saved him a whole day's worth of wallowing in shame. He hummed at Rukia's petting, and he felt his heart beat with refreshed peace. His chest rose and fell with less weight attached, and he felt like he was breathing the purest air in the whole world.

"Thanks, Rukia," said Ichigo, "you always know what to say."

Rukia nodded and added, "I'm sorry that I pushed you into dancing with Mr. Jaggerjack. I didn't know that the situation was that bad. I just thought that having you two dance would at least open your eyes to what was really going on, but I was wrong. You two didn't even become slight friends." She placed a small kiss on Ichigo's forehead.

"Dear God, I don't know what I'd do without ya," said Ichigo. "I'm not mad at you, and I forgive you. Even if I were mad at you, I don't think I could last for five minutes." He chuckled with a small grin.

Rukia sighed and sat on her nylon covered calves. "So... Mr. Jaggerjack kinda confessed to you," she said with a teasing smile.

"Shut up," laughed Ichigo. "I kinda caught that, though. Having an admirer isn't bad, but Mr. Jaggerjack is just..." He sighed. "I don't know. He's weird. I'm just going to stay away from him." He laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling.

"What if he asks you on a date?" asked Rukia as she leaned on her arms, which were rested neatly on the edge of the bed.

"I'll say, 'no.'" replied Ichigo. "He has to understand that I don't cheat, and I won't lead him on into thinking he has a chance with me." He rolled his head and looked at Rukia.

Rukia smiled at Ichigo and said, "Well, I'll support you all the way." She sat there and stared at Ichigo. The other did the same. Rukia gave a huge smile, making Ichigo burst into laughter.

Ichigo combed his fingers through his hair and rested both arms behind his head.

Rukia stood up and declared, "Don't think you're gonna laze the day away. Remember: you're here to help me celebrate my business deal." She pulled the blankets off of the other and added, "So get your lazy bum up and take a shower because we're going shopping."

Ichigo was going to ask if he really had to, but he thought that the question was stupid. Thus, he rose from his position and swung his legs over the cream colored sheets. He sat there for a moment to think of what to wear, but he was pulled to his feet.

"Don't be so slow," said Rukia as she dragged Ichigo to the bathroom. She shoved him in the little room and closed the door. She leaned in on the door and announced, "I'm going to look through your clothes, so I hope you don't have anything weird in your suitcase."

"I don't have anything weird in my suitcase, Rukia," replied Ichigo as he turned on the water. "Go ahead. You usually have better taste than I do in clothes." He removed his clothing and stepped into the warm waterfall of water.

Rukia shrugged and walked to the black suitcase that sat by the armoire. She unzipped the zipper and flopped the top onto the other side. With a critical eye, Rukia rifled through the clothing and pulled out a white polo and tan cargo shorts. She laid the clothing on the bed and went back to the suitcase. She opened a different zipper, but quickly shut it with a blush.

"I didn't know he wore tighty whities," she said in a low tone.

Small fingers unzipped another pouch and reached in for the cologne and gold watch. She set the accessories by the polo shirt and went on the hunt for the man's sandals. She got on her knees and leaned on her hands to look under the bed. She smiled when she reached for the sandals and pulled them free of their dark prison.

"That's a very provocative position," came Ichigo's amused voice.

Rukia looked back with an unamused frown. "Relax, boy," she said, "you're gay, so I have no reason to fear being in this position."

Ichigo chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I know." He walked over to the chosen outfit as Rukia got to her feet. He nodded his head in approval and commented, "You have quite the taste, Rukia Kuchiki."

Rukia put a hand to her chest and said, "Thank you." She smiled and finished, "I'm going to wait outside. Remember to brush your teeth and spray the cologne all over yourself."

"Yes, mom," replied Ichigo, "anything else?"

"Yeah," replied the other, "don't skip out on the golden earrings." With a smile, Rukia turned and proudly clicked and clacked her way out the door.

Ichigo shook his head and set to dressing himself.

As Ichigo was getting dressed, Grimmjow was lounging in the bar with Chad. He had told the man everything that happened, and Chad had yet to respond.

"So...Is this bad?" asked Grimmjow. He was leaning on the bar top with both hands folded. When Chad didn't reply, Grimmjow leaned his head on one hand and announced, "Fuck! I fucked up, didn't I? I messed him up emotionally and physically."

"Well, I doubt I'd be happy with you if you kicked my ass and confessed afterwards. I think you would have saved yourself the trouble if you confessed first," Chad said truthfully. He stared at the clear wine glass in his hand and frowned when a spot wouldn't come off. He continued to rub at the spot with vigour.

Grimmjow sighed and agreed, "I don't blame him." He was staring down at the brown swirls of the bar top. "Does he usually respond so strongly to other guys? Like the way he did with me?" His eyes looked from the wood to Chad.

Chad looked up from polishing the glass and replied, "I don't know."

"You're his childhood friend," said Grimmjow. "How could you not know?" His head was turned and looking at Chad. His body was heavy with anxiety. All he could think about was the way Ichigo had looked at him and the way Ichigo left the party in tears. When he saw the pain he caused, Grimmjow felt his heart plummet.

Chad sighed and replied, "He's only had one boyfriend in his whole life, Grimmjow. He never dealt with a third party pushing in on his relationship." He put the glass down and set the towel next to it. He pulled up a stool and sat down facing Grimmjow.

"I can only tell you that you have to tread carefully. You know I'm not going to get involved in this. It's crazy enough that I've done so much already, so you have to do everything else on your own," said Chad.

"I already know that," replied Grimmjow. "I know that I've dragged you into this against your initial will, and I'm sorry." He sighed and sat up straight.

_He's right. I can't lean on him after every meeting with Ichigo_, thought Grimmjow.

"I'm a big boy," said Grimmjow straightening his black sweater collar.

"Yes, you are," reassured Chad with a nod.

"I can do this," added Grimmjow as he dusted off his blue jeans.

"Yes, you can," Chad assured again with a cross of his arms.

"I'm going to ask out Ichigo," Grimmjow declared as he smoothed his hair.

"Okay," said Chad with a shrug.

After the whole pumped up talk, Grimmjow felt courage flow through his chest. He was ready. _I know that I may have made Ichigo feel bad, but I can fix that. I can be me and fix what I've done. I'm a big boy. I can do this! _he thought.

Grimmjow pulled out his cell phone and pressed the power button. He clicked on the contacts list and scrolled down to "Gilga's Flowers." He pressed the call button and pressed the phone to his ear. He leaned against the bar top as he listened to the phone ring.

"What are you doing?" asked Chad. He was leaning on the bar top, too.

Grimmjow put a finger to his lips and mouthed, "You'll see."

"Hello, this is 'Gilga's Flowers.' What the fuck ya want now?" greeted the annoyed voice.

The blue haired man chuckled and answered, "Well, well, Nnoitra. You haven't changed a bit. Nice to know that I'm still greeted kindly." He looked around the room as he spoke to Nnoitra.

"Fuck you, Grimmjow," came the response. "Ya haven't called for a while, so I thought you were dead or somethin'. But I didn't see any blue haired whack job get killed on the t.v."

"Awww. You definitely show concern for your most loyal customers," replied Grimmjow with an amused smile.

"Pft! What ever. So what the hell ya want? I do have other customers on the line," said Nnoitra in annoyance.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and replied, "No you don't, Nnoitra."

"Okay, maybe I don't, but get to the damn point already. I'm already sixty years old from waiting for you to tell me what ya want," mocked Nnoitra.

"Heh," chuckled Grimmjow. He turned and leaned his back against the bar top. "Ya still make gift baskets?" He was looking at the nails on his free hand as he waited for his answer.

"Yeah," replied Nnoitra, "why? Ya want one?"'

"Yeah," answered Grimmjow. He put his hand in his pocket and continued, "I want a red basket with pink lace around the edges. Pile the basket with red, white, and pink roses. Make sure the roses are free of thorns, too. Have white orchids flowing out of the sides, and I want you to add some of your special flair to the look.

"I also want a card attached to the basket. Make sure the card has something to do with strawberry ice cream; don't make it lusty or seductive. The card has to be neutral. I want you to write, 'Please, grace me with your presence at the "Espada" at eight p.m.' Be sure to add my phone number.

"And, spray the card with strawberry essence or something else fruity. Did ya get all that?"

Nnoitra sighed over the phone and responded, "Yeah."

"Good," said Grimmjow. He looked at his watch and noticed the time was only ten in the morning. _That's enough time_."I want the basket sent to Karakura Hotel around three in the afternoon, and address it to room 403."

"Damn. Is this chick that special?" asked Nnoitra.

"Not a chick," replied Grimmjow. "Don't mess up, and I'll give ya a thirty percent tip." He heard Nnoitra chuckle over the phone.

"Ya too good to me, Jaggerjack," said Nnoitra. "I'll get ya basket done and have it delivered. Ya want any chocolate or other candy to go with the basket? I'm holding this new special: buy a basket, get candy free."

"Any chance at strewn kisses?" asked Grimmjow.

"Ya got it," replied Nnoitra. "Alright. I'll message ya when the basket is sent on its way."

"Perfect," said Grimmjow. "Later." He hung up the phone and turned to Chad with a grin as big as his face.

"A basket?" asked Chad with an amused smile. He uncrossed his arms and set them in his pockets.

"Yup," said Grimmjow. He slipped his phone in his pocket and spun around, stopping with a pose.

"I see you're excited," observed Chad. He took out his hands and rolled down his black sleeves.

Grimmjow sat back in his seat and said, "Hell yeah. I have a good feeling, Chad. I think I'm starting off better." He leaned on his arm and gazed out into space with an amorous face.

The blue haired man's heart was beating excitedly, making him want to try flying around the room. He then snapped out of his gaze to pull out his phone again. He quickly called a number and put the phone to his ear.

_I guess he really doesn't know that Ichigo has one hell of a sweet tooth_, Chad mentally chuckled. He grabbed the towel and threw it in a little hamper under the bar top, then he set the glass in a bin to be thoroughly washed later. Chad looked back up to see Grimmjow making a reservation at the "Espada."

"Thanks," said Grimmjow, and he hung up the phone. He looked at Chad, who was just shaking his head with a smile. "What?" he shrugged. "The place knows I only call for special events, and it's the only place that has the best view of Karakura."

Chad just nodded and slipped off his apron. He walked to the back room, put away his apron in his little silver locker, and walked back out with keys in his hands.

"Ya lockin' up early?" asked Grimmjow with a raised brow.

Chad stopped and looked at Grimmjow. "You know that the bar isn't open today. It's Tuesday, and Tuesday is my day off," he said.

Grimmjow slapped his forehead and replied, "Oh yeah. Sorry." He looked at his friend, who was waiting for him to exit the bar along with the other. He walked toward Chad and asked, "Why'd ya come in today?" He and Chad were walking in unison.

"'Cause I knew you would need someone to talk to," replied Chad. He walked out of the bar and turned to lock the door. He turned back to Grimmjow and asked, "When are you going back to the office?"

The blue haired man answered, "Thursday."

"The employees must miss you," said Chad as he continued to walk. He looked toward the other end of the hotel lobby rubbed his stomach. "I'm hungry," he announced, "wanna get a bite to eat?" He looked at Grimmjow.

"I doubt that," answered Grimmjow. "I'm usually giving someone an earful about the bullshit on profits or produced cars. Pantera brand cars aren't cheap, ya know, and I ain't that easy to fool." He looked at Chad and said in a mock, "Why, Chad. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were asking me on a date." He smiled at Chad, who just shook his head and slapped him on the back of the head. Grimmjow still laughed.

"Even if I were gay, I wouldn't date your ugly ass," said Chad with a smile. He walked with Grimmjow toward the exit of the hotel.

Grimmjow just laughed and replied, "What ever, man." He exited the hotel and walked with Chad down the busy street. He bypassed people as nicely as possible and entered a frilly sandwich shop called "Soul Sandwiches," where they sat and ate.

As Grimmjow and Chad were at the sandwich shop, Rukia and Ichigo were busy searching for outfits.

"I want us to match at tomorrow night's party," said Rukia. She picked out a dress and observed the detail. She raised a brow at the odd placement of the large bow and shook her head; she put the dress back on the rack.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and countered, "People would think we're together if we did that." He walked around the rack to stand in front of Rukia with a two chosen sets of clothing.

Rukia looked over the clothing and pointed to the dressing rooms. She commanded, "Try them on." She watched as her friend walked to the dressing rooms and disappeared in one of the stalls. Afterwards, Rukia pulled out a baby doll dress that would match one of Ichigo's outfits. The dress was rosy color with a belt that had red gems along the buckle.

"What do you think?" came Ichigo's voice.

Rukia turned and smiled. She pointed at Ichigo and commented, "Hot!"

"You really think so?" asked Ichigo as he looked down at himself. His dress shirt was rosy with white buttons going down the front. He had on dark indigo jeans, which reached the end of his long legs perfectly. He looked over at the body length mirror by his side and smoothed the shirt with one hand. He shrugged and went back to his stall.

The black haired woman shook her head at her friend's reaction to his image. She put the dress over the pit of her elbow and searched for a red dress. When she didn't find one, she moved onto the next aisle of clothing and rifled through each set. She finally pulled out a scarlet colored dress that would barely cover half of her thighs.

"How about this?" came Ichigo's voice.

Rukia turned; her jaw dropped.

Ichigo was leaning casually with a black shirt sitting under a open red paisley shirt and light black jeans. He raised a brow at Rukia's face. "Good?" he asked.

The woman nodded and said, "Good enough to make me wish I were a gay man, too."

The orange headed man shook his head and replied, "Thanks, Rukia." He looked in the mirror and smiled. "I like this," he said, "I look relaxed."

Rukia walked next to him and held up the red dress. They matched. She smiled and commented, "Good. Come on; get your stuff. We're buying all of this." She nudged her friend to walk to the stall, so he would stop staring at himself. "Narcissist," she said with a giggle.

"I know," replied Ichigo as he entered his stall. He saw the girl quickly run somewhere; he shook his head.

After a few minutes, the friends were at the register, where Rukia piled the clothes and quickly gathered shoes on the counter and handed her card to the clerk. After the card was confirmed, Rukia and Ichigo walked out of the store with a couple bags in each hand.

The friends boarded Rukia's black escalade and drove back to the hotel. Both made their way past the lobby and up the elevator. They continued to Ichigo's room, where both had to stop and stare down in confusion.

Ichigo was the first to say, "What is that?" He picked up the gift and observed the details of the red, lacey basket. The roses and orchids stood out to him like little gems. He gulped when he saw chocolate kisses spread around the basket. He turned the basket and found a pink envelope.

_Did Renji send this? _he thought with a fond smile.

Rukia stared wide eyed, then she started jumping. She squealed, "Ichigo, it's addressed to you. Open it! I wanna see what the card says." She did her best to stand on her toes as Ichigo opened the card to read the contents.

The card read:

_To me, you are sweet._

_To me, you are gentle.._

_To me, you are wonderful._

_So heavenly you are as the God given treat, strawberry ice cream._

_Please, grace me with your presence at the "Espada"at 8 p.m._

_1-904-555-8903_

_-Grimmjow Jaggerjack_

Ichigo's jaw was hanging open in shock.

Rukia was also in shock.

"He...he asked me out on a date," stated Ichigo in disbelief. He blinked and looked down at Rukia, whose eyes were as wide as an owl's. Ichigo didn't want a date. He was still with Renji, and he wasn't unfaithful. _I'm going to turn him down. No apology or anything of the sort. He really thinks he can just ask me out when my boyfriend's gone and after he grabbed my hand at the party. I don't think so._

He looked back to the card and pulled out his phone. He input the number and set up a text box.

The woman shook her head and asked, "What are you going to tell him?" She hopped up to see what Ichigo was typing, but the other turned off the screen on his phone. Rukia pouted.

"I'll show you the text in a second," said Ichigo. He pulled out his room key and opened the door. He let in Rukia and locked the door. Ichigo quickly tossed his bags alongside Rukia's and sat on the bed, where Rukia was sitting with her legs tucked under her butt.

"What did you say?" asked Rukia. She watched as Ichigo pulled out his phone and opened the text thread. "'I won't go on a date with you,'" she read aloud. Rukia looked up at Ichigo and nodded her head in approval.

Ichigo smiled, but the smile faded when the phone went off. He looked at the screen and saw the number calling him. Ichigo looked at Rukia with a lost look.

The woman rolled her eyes and plucked the phone from Ichigo's hand. She slid the answer pad across the screen and put the phone to her ear. "Hello," she greeted. She immediately put the phone on speaker.

"Who's this?" came Grimmjow's voice.

"Rukia."

"Where's Ichigo?"

Rukia looked at Ichigo, who just waved his hand for her to continue. "He's right here," she answered.

"Can I talk to him?" asked Grimmjow.

"What for?" asked Rukia.

"I don't mean to be rude, Rukia, but that's none of your business," came the reply.

Rukia stared at the phone and gawked. _Oh hell no_, she thought. "I'm his best friend, Mr. Jaggerjack, so I have a right to be concerned about what goes on in Ichigo's life. Now I'm going to ask you again: what for?" replied Rukia with more attitude.

Ichigo gaped in both amazement and gratefulness.

"And I'm going to tell you again: none of your business," came Grimmjow's reply.

The woman's lips pursed. Rukia snarled, "You are not going to talk to Ichigo with that attitude, boy. Either tell me what the hell you're calling for, or I'll just hang up." She puckered her lips as she stared at the phone. Rukia smiled when she heard a growl.

Ichigo didn't know how to describe the feeling of listening to the conversation. His heart was jumping with excitement as he witnessed Rukia bitch at Grimmjow about the call. He tapped Rukia on the shoulder and mouthed, "I love you, right now."

Rukia nodded her head with a sly smile.

"I'm calling him about the invite to the 'Espada,'" replied Grimmjow in a defeated voice.

"Oh," said Rukia, "I believe he said he wasn't going to go on a date with you." She kept her eyes on the phone.

"That's the thing," said Grimmjow, "it's not a date."

Rukia and Ichigo gaped at the phone.

_My ass_, thought Ichigo, _that basket basically had 'date' stamped on it. How could he say that the invite was not a date. He pulled some valentine shit on me, and the basket doesn't mean he wants a date? Bullshit._

The woman snapped out of her state and asked, "Then why did you send a basket full of flowers and candy?"

A sigh was heard before the other answered, "The basket is basically an apology. The card was just an invite. I know Ichigo has a boyfriend, and I'm not some arrogant asshole as he probably thinks I am. I know my boundaries. I just want to make up for what I did last night."

Ichigo raised a brow. _Apology basket and apology dinner? Really?_

"Just let me talk to him," said Grimmjow.

Rukia frowned and held the phone up to Ichigo, who also frowned. _I'll support you the whole way_, she thought.

Ichigo took the phone and greeted, "Hello."

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine," replied Ichigo. He sat fully on the bed with his legs crossed.

"That's good," came the reply. "Look, Ichigo, I'm sorry for my actions last night. I shouldn't have touched you, and I shouldn't have gone along with the fight. Let me make it up to you and take ya out to dinner. My treat. I won't pull anything funny. I respect you and your boyfriend; I know my limits."

Ichigo looked at Rukia, who crossed her arms and nodded her head once. _If he really means what he says, then he shouldn't deny me my request._

"Okay," said Ichigo.

"Great," said Grimmjow.

"One condition," added Ichigo. He looked at Rukia, who tilted her head in confusion.

"What's that?" came the reply.

"I want Rukia to accompany us," said Ichigo with a smile. He was still looking at Rukia, who was gaping at him.

"That's fine," replied Grimmjow. "She's welcome to join us."

"Great," said Ichigo. "I'll see you at eight." _Now I know you won't do anything funny._

He hung up the phone and looked at Rukia. "Wanna match?" he asked.

Rukia smiled back and replied, "Hell yeah."

**Author's note:**

**Well, I hope that didn't bore you too much. I know the chapter seemed more directed toward a casual day, but I thought it was necessary to lead on to the next chapter. Yes, I wrote Grimmjow backing off. I did it for a reason. **

**Remember: I have a plan! Things will work out, and I already know what's going to happen in the next chapter.**

**Speaking of the next chapter, you all can expect some crazy stuff. **

**Commenters, what do you think? **


	8. A Hero Falls

**Chapter Eight: A Hero Falls**

Renji grimaced when the boy squirmed and wiggled about. He barely caught the boy before they both fell upon the main road. Shuhei helped him secure the boy; both SEALs had their arms wrapped around the boy's arms and legs. The child tried screaming, too, but Shuhei helped by gagging the kid with a paisley handkerchief.

When the men made it safely back to their squad, Renji signaled for Shuhei to lower the kid to the ground. After the child's bottom touched the leafy ground, he started to squirm even more. Renji held onto the kid's shoulders and squeezed to stop the boy's movements.

"Kid!" Renji hissed. When the boy continued to struggle, Renji hissed even louder, "Kid!" The boy suddenly stopped and looked at him with terrified eyes. The SEAL sighed and asked in a whisper, "Are you a part of a military group in this forest?" The child looked at him confused. Renji felt a tap on his shoulder, so he looked up.

Shuhei looked down at Renji from his standing position and suggested, "Maybe this kid doesn't speak English." The other nodded. He told Renji to wait a moment and quickly made his way toward the rest of the squad. He looked to Ikkaku Madarame, another SEAL and fellow friend.

Ikkaku had red paint on his eyes; he thought the paint would make him look cool. His gear was the same as Renji's and Shuhei's, but he wore a camouflage hat to conceal his shiny, bald head. Ikkaku met Renji and Shuhei when they were grouped together. The three got along just fine.

Soon, the three were joined by other SEALs, but Renji, Ikkaku, and Shuhei got along with each other the most.

The bald SEAL looked back up at Shuhei from his resting position, crouching with his assault rifle out. "What can I do for ya, Shuhei?" he asked with focused eyes. He had been focused on his surroundings for a while, so he was still being careful.

"I know ya can speak six languages, Ikkaku," answered Shuhei. "You know how to speak the language around here?"

"Yeah," came the plain reply. "Ya need me for somethin'?" He stood up and leaned a little on the tree next to him.

Shuhei nodded his head and raised a brow at Ikkaku's relaxed composure. "Ya tired?" he asked. The other just shook his head. "Hm," started Shuhei again, "well, Renji needs ya to talk to some scout kid for him? This could be the key to stopping our threat faster."

Ikkaku's focused face brightened. "Really? We've only been out here for a couple days," he responded. He stood up straight. "Where's the kid?"

Shuhei jerked his head for Ikkaku to follow him. He turned and walked a few yards toward the large tree, where Renji spotted the suicide bomber. "Here," he said in a low voice to Ikkaku.

The bald SEAL narrowed his eyes as he came closer to Renji kneeling by a child. He looked over the kid, and he noticed all the tears in the ragged clothing and the scars down the child's arms. He kneeled by Renji and focused his narrowed eyes on the child, who looked at him and trembled more.

Renji didn't look at Ikkaku, but he knew he was there. "First, ask him if he'll be quiet, then ask him if there's a military camp here," commanded Renji. He kept his eyes on the child.

The boy looked back and forth from Renji and Ikkaku. His eyes were wet with nervous tears, and his heart was beating wildly.

Ikkaku asked the child about being quiet. The child just nodded. He carefully reached for the gag and added that he would hurt the child if the child didn't scream. The boy just nodded his head again. He removed the gag and let it hang from his fingertips. Then, he asked about the military camp. His expression didn't change when the child answered him nervously, and he didn't blink when the kid stuttered a few times.

The bald SEAL sighed and told the boy that he was an American soldier, and he added that he and the others wouldn't hurt him. Ikkaku saw that the boy looked unconvinced, so he quickly dropped the paisley handkerchief, reached into a pocket, and pulled out a cloth with the American Flag design. He showed the boy, who took the cloth and ran his fingers over the material.

The boy looked at the other men. He heard the red painted SEAL ask them something, so he continued to look at the men. His eyes brightened at the other freed cloths with the same design. He looked from the others' cloths to Ikkaku's cloth, then he looked at Ikkaku. He asked for the men's names.

Ikkaku pointed to himself and said, "Ikkaku." He pointed to his friends and named them respectively. He looked back at the boy and asked for the boy's name.

The boy responded that he didn't have a name. He clutched the cloth and told Ikkaku that he wasn't given a name because the men who raised him didn't feel the need to give him one. He said that he was just called by a number that was tattooed on his neck. The boy turned his head and pointed to the scribbled tattoo on his neck.

He looked back at Ikkaku and added that he was one of many children back at the camp. The boy also explained that he was supposed to scout the area for any enemies like the SEALs, and he was supposed to alert the men in charge. The child teared up again and begged that Ikkaku take him away from the hurtful men, for he was always harmed for doing something wrong.

Ikkaku's expression hardened. He nodded his head, though, and replied that he would help the boy.

The child sniffled and quickly embraced Ikkaku. He buried his little face in the SEAL's neck and silently sobbed.

The bald SEAL gulped and stood up. He looked at Renji and Shuhei. Before he could say anything, the child called him.

"Ikkaku," mumbled the child. He picked up his head and looked at the SEAL straight in the eyes. He warned the other about the suicide bomber children around the area. Then, he warned the other about the snipers set up at the camp's gates.

Ikkaku's eyes widened a bit then narrowed. He nodded at the child and thanked him; he looked back at the others. "We're close," he said, "but we have some problems."

Renji pursed his lips. "What kind of problems?" he asked. He crossed his arms and readied himself for the worst.

The bald SEAL rubbed at the child's back to get the child to stop crying. As he did so, he replied, "First, luck's on our side 'cause there's a camp that's about a couple hours from where we're standing. Second, we're not fightin' men; we're fightin' kids. This kid told me that there are a few hundred more at the camp, and that number doesn't include the hundred or so out here with us."

"A hundred or so?" asked Shuhei. His eyes narrowed. "So, you're tellin' me that we're fightin' child soldiers?" The other confirmed his notion. He cursed, "Shit. I hope we don't encounter any of those kids."

"I doubt we will," mended Renji. He looked from Ikkaku to Shuhei. "We don't usually find ourselves in the midst of trouble." Renji turned his attention back to Ikkaku and asked, "Did the kid tell ya any details regarding these 'hundred or so' kids? Better safe than sorry."

Ikkaku nodded and said, "There are only a handful of suicide bombers; the rest are equipped with a rifle or shotgun. Besides that, there's the snipers around the gate; I think they're stationed outside at different points. Apparently, the whole camp is surrounded by a barb wired gate. There are child guards at the entrance."

"Shit," cursed Shuhei. "I don't want to walk into a death trap to arrest a group of men. We need a plan." He looked to Renji.

Renji nodded at his friend's notion and added, "We'll just have to weave through the best we can. If we do encounter any kids, then you know the rule we follow."

"Right," said Ikkaku. He looked to the child, who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder.

Renji walked next to Ikkaku and said, "We're gonna need 'im awake, Ikkaku. He knows what the place looks like, and he knows where everyone is positioned."

Ikkaku nodded and rubbed at the child's back to wake him up. When the child didn't wake up, Ikkaku whispered in the boy's ear to wake up. He whispered again, making the child groan and whimper. Ikkaku whispered once more, which got the child up. He told the child to describe or draw out the camp for him.

The child nodded.

Ikkaku squat down and sat the child on the leaves. He pulled out a little note pad from his pocket and a small pen. He flipped the pad open to a clean page and gave it to the child. He pointed to it with the pen and told the child to draw the camp.

The child was smart. He took the pen and drew a diagram. The camp was shaped like a large rectangular box. On one half of the box, the boy drew a circle and told Ikkaku that the circle was the place where the children slept and ate. On the other half of the box, the boy drew a giant x, and he described the x as the place where the men planned and stored weapons. Then, he placed dots around the box, which he described as the posts for snipers.

Ikkaku thanked the kid and took the pad. When he stood up, he felt the child hug his waist. He looked down and managed a small smile. Kids knew how to pull the heart's strings.

"I think he's attached to you, Ikkaku," said Renji with a smile.

The bald SEAL looked back up, rolled his eyes, and replied, "Shut up." He showed the others the diagram and reiterated all the boy's information.

"I'm sure that this camp is much bigger in size, right?" asked Shuhei looking at the diagram skeptically.

Ikkaku raised a brow and said, "No duh, Shuhei." He hit the other on the head with the note pad. The other growled at him.

Renji shook his head and said, "Look, we'll mess around later. Show that picture again, Ikkaku." When the other flipped the pad open and laid it on his palm for both men to see, Renji pointed to the sniper posts. "We need to neutralize the snipers first. I don't want us getting picked out from the outside while we're on the inside. After the snipers are gone, we'll infiltrate the camp. Barbed wire, right? Shuhei?" He looked to the black haired SEAL.

"Got that covered," answered Shuhei pulling out a pair of pliers. He put the tool back in his pocket.

"Good," said Renji looking from Shuhei back to the note pad. "We'll cut through the gate near the terrorists and arrest them. If they don't cooperate and attempt to harm us, you guys know what to do." He dropped his finger from the notepad and asked Ikkaku to ask the kid for the direction toward the camp.

The bald SEAL nodded and asked the child for the direction. The child leaned his head on Ikkaku's leg and pointed in the direction facing Ikkaku's back. The men looked in the direction and nodded their heads in unison.

"Time to go," announced Renji. "Shuhei, get the others to follow. Ikkaku, let's start moving ahead."

During the entire travel, the SEALs were able to hide and maneuver their way around all of the child soldiers. They only encountered one suicide bomber, whom Ikkaku caught sight of first. The squadron were in view of the camp.

Renji looked around and saw the lack of child soldiers walking around. He looked around again, and he caught sight of the first sniper. Thankfully the squadron was hidden and scattered behind a crumbled brick wall near the campsite. Renji brought out his sniper rifle and aimed for the sniper. He looked through the scope and noticed that the sniper was a man.

That didn't surprise him; Renji knew that children weren't likely to stay put with so much energy. He thanked God that he equipped his suppressor and aimed for the sniper's head. With a pull of his trigger, the bullet whizzed through the air quietly and killed the man.

Renji blinked and looked back at his comrades. He signaled for some SEALs to move ahead and take out the other snipers in their way. As the men got to moving, Renji slumped against the wall with the sniper rifle against his chest. The rough bricks massaged at his back and ruffled his jacket. He felt a hand on his shoulder; he knew it was Shuhei. He looked up at the black haired SEAL and gave a weak smile.

Shuhei just nodded and jerked his head in question to move on.

The redhead nodded and got back into a crouch. Renji didn't have time to think of God and ask him to watch over the life he took. He started his way toward the end of the wall and looked around the edge. He saw Ikkaku hiding behind a thick tree. He waited for some type of signal until he had to turn around to the child tugging on his jacket. Renji's eyes widened.

_I thought we left this kid_, he thought. _Fuck. That means he followed us. How did I not notice him? _Renji signaled for the child to stay there; the child nodded at him. He wasn't sure if the child understood him, but he just hoped the kid wouldn't attract attention.

Renji turned back to Ikkaku, who was already waving for him to come. He nodded and made his way over with Shuhei. When they got close, both Renji and Shuhei hid themselves behind a tree of their own. Renji looked at Ikkaku, who signaled for them to move on to the gate. The redhead nodded and made his way toward the gate's edge.

Just as the child described, the gate was barb wire. The gate was eight feet high and revealed the inside of the camp. On the far end from the SEAL's position, children were eating and conversing amongst themselves. Nearest the SEALs was a metal sheet shed. The shed looked rusted and small. Across from the shed was a brick building that was twice the size of the shed. There was no light in the shed, but there was light in the building.

Renji signaled for Shuhei and Ikkaku to follow him. They made their way toward the most concealed spot, the brick building, which shielded them from the rest of the camp's view.

Shuhei made his way to the front and brought out his pliers. When he got to the gate, he started to cut through the wire with grace and speed. The wire came free with quiet clicks. After a few more seconds filled with quick snaps, Shuhei had cut a little portal for the SEALs to go through. He put away the pliers, moved the cut wire aside, and entered the camp first; he crouched near the wall and went toward the end, where he took a quick glance to find an entrance.

The black haired SEAL smiled when there was a glassless window, which was big enough for him and possibly another SEAL to fit through. He looked back to his fellow SEALs and saw that the entire group was behind him. With a more reassuring smile, Shuhei informed them all of the window they could enter.

Renji was relieved that they found a way in. He whispered for Shuhei to peek inside and check for the men they're looking for.

Shuhei nodded and moved forward. He turned the corner and made his way toward the window. He flattened himself against the wall and turned his head to peek. His eyes narrowed when he only saw two men.

The men were tan faced with purple berets and green combat attire. They were bent over a table discussing matters in a foreign language. They had mini replicas of bombs and soldiers, which were spread out on a large map. Around the men were weapons and launchers on the walls. There were cargo boxes everywhere with labels. The floor was mostly dirt with bits of hay scattered around.

Shuhei crouched back down and quickly reported back to Renji.

Renji narrowed his eyes when Shuhei said there were two men. He was expecting more to pull an entire camp together with kids. Ignoring the thought of pondering over the matter, Renji asked about any other entrances.

Shuhei replied that there was another window on the other side of the building and that there was an entrance the size of semi truck, but the entrance was closed.

Utilizing the information, Renji turned to his men and signaled for half to enter on the other side. They would surround the main men and arrest them. After the team was split, Shuhei, Renji, and Ikkaku made their way to the window. When the three nodded at each other, they managed to hop through the window at the same time the other SEALs got in.

Shuhei and Ikkaku, along with other SEALs raised their assault rifles at the men, and Ikkaku ordered for the men to freeze and cooperate. Ikkaku also told them to stay still and raise their hands.

Renji looked from the frozen terrorists to the other SEAL, who was making his way to arrest the man on the other side. With a sigh, Renji pulled out handcuffs and made his way over to the man nearest him. When he got to the terrorist, Renji grabbed one hand, pulled it down, and cuffed it. He raised his other arm to grab the other hand, but he felt weird.

He felt a pang of pain in his chest. The pain burned and inflamed his entire ribcage. Renji gulped and looked down, where a knife was buried in his ribs. _I didn't see that? I didn't feel that? _He raised his head and was met with a freed elbow. Renji fell back, and he gasped in pain after making contact with the floor. He put a hand to the wound around the knife. He brought his hand back to his face and saw the blood oozing down in heavy droplets.

His brain registered the pain and the warmth leaving his body rapidly, but he couldn't register what else was happening. He looked up and saw the terrorist falling with blood pouring from his forehead. His eyes followed the body as it fell onto its knees and fell onto its face. He felt a hand on his shoulder again.

_Shuhei_, he thought. Renji looked up, and Shuhei was there. The other was panicking, for he never had to deal with a real wounded comrade. Renji knew that; they all knew that. His squadron hardly suffered any injuries greater than a bullet grazing the skin.

"Shit!" cursed Shuhei. He tapped on Renji's face and begged, "Stay focused, Renji! Damn it! Don't you dare pass out!" He touched the blade, but he didn't grab it due to Renji's pained outcry. "Shit!" he cursed again. He looked to Ikkaku, who was already yelling into a radio.

"We need a chopper! I repeat: we need a chopper!" Ikkaku yelled through the radio. He pressed a button on the tracker hanging on the left side of his hip.

"We'll be there in under sixty seconds. Get yourselves out of there, soldier," replied the chopper's pilot. There was a beep, signalling the line was done.

Ikkaku ran to Shuhei and helped with getting Renji to his feet. The two each took an arm and supported Renji toward the window. Each were grunting with every other step; Renji was too heavy as dead weight. Shuhei hopped out first and told Ikkaku to hand Renji over. When the other complied, Shuhei managed to get Renji onto his shoulders. From there, Shuhei and Ikkaku made their way out the gate with the rest of SEALs, along with the dead body and stable terrorist, behind them.

Renji felt like he was in a dream. His vision was swaying along to his movements. He heard his friend's voices, but they disappeared. He smelled the stench of blood and hay, but that was gone, too. He felt the warmth pouring from his chest and soaking his body, but he couldn't feel anymore. He was cold and deaf. He could feel something swishing in his throat, making his breathing harder. He swallowed, but more came to flood his breathing passage.

Ikkaku waved for Shuhei and the others to stay back as the chopper lowered. Leaves and dirt flew through the air in thick clouds. He held onto his hat and squinted his eyes as the chopper lowered. When the chopper was finally low enough for the SEALs to get on, Ikkaku turned and yelled, "Move! Move! Move! Move!" He stood by as the soldiers piled in. Just as he was about to enter, too, he felt a tug on his jacket.

The bald SEAL quickly turned and saw the kid who begged to be free. He knew that he wasn't supposed to make that promise in the first place. He knew that he shouldn't take the kid, but he would. He quickly grabbed the kid and hauled him inside. _I made a promise. I'll be keeping it._ He sat the child down near the center of the helicopter and turned to assist Shuhei. He had to move aside for the medic passing by. _Why isn't he there?_

He made his way over some sitting SEALs and held onto the roof of the helicopter. He saw blood oozing to his feet. _No...NO! _he mentally panicked. Ikkaku quickened his pace, stepping on the blood. He stopped when the pool was thicker. He looked up and gaped in horror. The sight before Ikkaku made him freeze and made his eyes widen. Renji was slumped against the wall of the chopper with blood pooling from the wound and mouth. The redhead's jacket was torn off and spread over him.

Shuhei was next to Renji, slapping the downed man and yelling. His face was red, and his eyes were puffed. Tears were rolling down his face. Ikkaku understood. He understood too well. Renji was Ikkaku's friend, too.

"Renji!" yelled Shuhei at the top of his lungs. He tapped the man's face, hoping for something. "RENJI!" he screamed. "Don't you die on me! Get up, damn it!"

Renji felt something. He did. He also heard an echo. There was a voice echoing in his ears. His eyelids fluttered. Was he okay? He opened his eyes and saw Shuhei and Ikkaku, both shocked and looking at him. Renji opened his mouth, but blood poured out. He felt the warm liquid pouring past his lips like a waterfall. He looked down and saw that the knife was gone, but there was bloody gauze covering him. The gauze that was freshly placed there flowered with red rapidly. Some dripped from the gauze onto his shirt.

He knew it. _I won't make it_, he thought.

Renji looked up and said with a clear mouth, "Shuhei." He coughed. He heard his friend shuffled closer to him, so he slowly grabbed for Fang. When he couldn't grasp the knife, he saw Shuhei pull the knife free for him. "Shuhei, I'm not gonna...make it." His friend looked at him morosely.

"Bullshit!" cried Shuhei. Ikkaku joined him on the other side of Renji. "You'll make it, Renji! I know you will! You just gotta hang on!"

"Don't fuckin' die on us, Renji!" ordered Ikkaku. His voice was tense, too.

"Sorry, guys," said Renji with a weak red smile. "Too cold, man. I almost can't hear ya." He blinked when Ikkaku grabbed his shirt.

"Ya ain't gonna die," Ikkaku growled weakly. "The medic patched ya up with lots o' gauze. You'll be okay. You'll make it!" He let go of the other's shirt and looked to the bandaged wound.

Renji shook his head weakly. "Damn. Death's a bitch," he coughed. "But death isn't so scary, guys. It's welcoming me in a weird way." He looked from Ikkaku to Shuhei. He looked at the knife and said, "Ya...see..that knife...Shu..." His vision was blurry. He couldn't hear a thing. He couldn't smell the blood or sweat. His voice was fading from him.

"Give that...to Shiro," mumbled Renji. His eyes were drooping, and he coughed up more blood. "He'll know what...to...do with...it." He coughed again. "Tell him...to tell Ichigo...that...I'm...I'm sorry," he mumbled more. A tear ran down his cold cheek. "And...that...I... love him," gasped Renji with a crooked smile. With those last words, he slumped lifeless against the cold, metal wall.

Shuhei looked at the knife and sniffled. He looked to Renji with pursed lips and teary eyes. "I will," he said with an intake of breath. "I will." He saw that Renji's eyes were still open, so he closed them and put his hand on Renji's shoulder one last time. "Ya brave bastard," he sniffled.

Ikkaku broke down in silent tears, too. He took off his own jacket and covered Renji's upper body. "I'll miss ya, Renji," said Ikkaku. "Wait for us in heaven, man." He licked his dry lips and looked at Shuhei. "I know he'll be there to greet us."

Shuhei nodded as tears spilt heavily down his cheeks. "This guy was a true hero. Renji is the true embodiment of an American hero. An American hero who faced death without fear," he said. He looked to Renji's covered form and said, "We'll see ya soon."

_I love you, Ichigo. God, watch over him._

The hero fell.

In Japan, Ichigo was enjoying his afternoon with Rukia and Grimmjow. The man wasn't as terrible as he thought he would be. In fact, Grimmjow paid for the entire dinner and complimented the friends for matching. After dinner, Rukia suggested that they see a movie as they walked from inside the restaurant.

"I wanna see 'Ted,'" said Ichigo. He and the other two were walking down the street toward the restaurant's parking lot.

"'Ted?'" asked Rukia. "You sure? I heard that movie was just plain dumb." She crossed her arms over her red dress. She looked up at Ichigo.

"Yes," answered Ichigo. He looked back down at Rukia. "On the contrary to what you've heard, I heard that the movie was hilarious." He smiled at Rukia's frown. "What?" he asked with a shrug.

Rukia shook her head and said, "Alright, princess. Let's see 'Ted.'" She pulled out her keys from her purse and clicked the button on her control. Her car beeped, signalling that the car was open. She looked to Grimmjow, who was standing there a bit awkwardly, and asked, "You okay with that?"

Grimmjow blinked and replied, "I'm fine with whatever you two wanna see." He gave a friendly smile. All night, he was doing his best to keep his emotions from pouring from his mouth. To him, Ichigo looked absolutely beautiful, especially in the paisley shirt and pants. Compared to his regular dress shirt and black dress pants, Ichigo was made for the night.

"Great," said Rukia in a happy voice. "We'll meet you at the theater near the hotel." She twirled and made her way to the driver's seat.

"See you both there," replied Grimmjow. He looked from Rukia to Ichigo. He turned and made his way to his car.

Ichigo glanced at Grimmjow and blushed. He remembered seeing the ocean in the other's eyes, and he recalled the masculine scent from the other night, too. The thoughts didn't change. Every time he looked at Grimmjow during their conversation, he saw the ocean crashing, threatening to break free of Grimmjow's glass eyes. The smell got to him, too. He swore he smelt the ocean spray every time the waters splashed behind Grimmjow's eyes.

He shook his head and quickly made his way to the front seat. He climbed in, locked the door, and buckled himself in. Ichigo sagged against the seat and sighed.

"Ichigo," chuckled Rukia as she pulled out of her parking space.

Ichigo raised his head to look at her. "What?" he asked.

"I saw the way Grimmjow was looking at you," she said with a small smile and wink. "I also saw why he invited you here. The view is great: there's the moon out in the sky, the great food, and the wonderful music played by an actual band. I admit that this guy knows how to treat his guests."

The orange haired man frowned and countered, "He wasn't looking at me like that, and I thought the place was just fancy." He laid his head back after looking away. Rukia was right, though. He couldn't help but feel some sort of enchantment as he sat under the moon with Rukia and Grimmjow. He remembered the swirling ocean with the moon reflecting on its face. He shook his head.

Rukia rolled her eyes and said, "You are such a horrible critic." She laughed when she felt Ichigo's eyes on her. She stopped at a red light and looked at Ichigo, who was actually off in space. She had a feeling that Ichigo might be thinking of Mr. Jaggerjack, but the other seemed pretty against the man. The light turned green.

"You really think the movie will be bad?" asked Ichigo. He was trying to get his mind off of Grimmjow. He was with Renji, so he didn't need to the think of the blue haired man. He was set.

"I'm not sure," answered Rukia. "You did hear otherwise." She smiled as she turned the steering wheel.

Ichigo nodded with a bored expression.

"Are you thinking about Mr. Jaggerjack?" Rukia finally asked. The woman wasn't one to ask something so bluntly, but she didn't like Ichigo squirming in the seat next to her. Her eyes lit up with bright colors when she saw the theater's flashing sign just a few blocks from her.

"I'm trying not to," answered Ichigo truthfully. He growled and sat up; he looked at Rukia and said, "I will admit the night was very charming, Rukia. I won't lie to you. Every time I looked at him, I kept seeing the moon reflecting on the ocean water. How the hell can I forget that?"

Rukia sighed and answered, "I don't think I would ever forget something like that."

"Why?" the orange haired man asked.

"It's the first sign of a new flower," answered Rukia. "Of new interest, of new love."

"I can't be in love," said Ichigo stubbornly. He crossed his arms. "What I feel for Renji is love. What I feel toward Grimmjow is... I don't know." He slumped against the car seat again. "It's not love. That I'm sure of."

"Maybe you're just noticing the details," suggested Rukia. "It happens when you feel something positive, so...maybe friendly interest." She turned her steering wheel to pull into the parking lot of the theater. She quickly found a spot and parked. "Does that suit you better?" she finally asked.

Ichigo sat up and unbuckled himself. "I hope that's the only thing I feel," he answered. He got out of the car and met Rukia toward the front, where Rukia pressed the button on her control and locked the doors.

"What if you start to feel more?" asked Rukia. She walked with Ichigo toward the entrance, where Grimmjow was waving and waiting.

"I'll just hope that doesn't happen," answered Ichigo. "I just love Renji too much." His heart jumped when Grimmjow looked at him straight in the eyes.

Grimmjow approached the walking friends and said, "I already bought the tickets for 'Ted.'" He gave the two their separate slips and added, "That way, we can catch it." When the others looked at him confused, he clarified, "The movie starts in three minutes."

"Let's go," led Rukia pulling Ichigo with her. She pushed the door open and led the other two toward the ticket ripper.

"Theater five on your left," said the teenage boy. "Enjoy the show." He ripped the tickets and passed them to the trio.

"He sounds like a robot," commented Rukia after they walked away from the boy. She led Ichigo and Grimmjow toward the theater. The hallway was red carpeted with black walls and posters of movies. There was a counter along the wall with butter machines, salt, and napkins. The door they opened was blue with a large five on the window.

They entered the dark room and made it on time to see the last of the commercials and feel the gush of air conditioning. They sat toward the back of the theater, where the other younger audience wouldn't bug them. Throughout the show, Ichigo and Grimmjow laughed the loudest. Rukia had to tell them to shut up because people were looking at them, but the two men still laughed like they were insane.

At the end of the movie, Ichigo and Grimmjow were the ones laughing loudly as they reminisced on the movie. Rukia just rolled her eyes at the sight. She'd only seen Ichigo laugh like that around Renji, who was the only one that made Ichigo comfortable enough to laugh like a hyena.

"Fuck you, Thunder. You can suck my dick," sang Ichigo and Grimmjow. "You can't be thunder 'cause you're just God's farts." They made a farting sound and laughed harder.

Rukia rolled her eyes again and said, "You two are so immature." She crossed her arms and paused to look at the laughing men.

"And proud," said Ichigo suddenly standing up straight and putting his hands on his hips.

"Good call," complemented Grimmjow, who held up his hand for a high five. He felt his heart jump when he received the high five from Ichigo. He looked at the other with a goofy grin still on his face, which turned a bit pink when Ichigo looked back with a smile, too. He didn't expect Ichigo to do either action.

Ichigo noticed the blush on Grimmjow's face, so he quickly looked away and quickly said, "Thanks for dinner and the movie." The moment just turned awkward, but he did feel a positive emotion. He rubbed the back of his head and looked to Rukia, who raised a brow at him. "I guess we should be going," said Ichigo in an unsure tone. He didn't want to prolong the awkward but nice aura in the air.

_What was that right now? _Ichigo asked himself. _I actually laughed with him, and I gave him a high five. Is that normal? Should I be doing that? I mean... He's nice and all, but I'm not sure if this is right. I guess I can like him as a friend?_

"It is two in the morning," said Rukia checking her phone. She put the device back in her purse and said, "Thank you, Grimmjow, for the dinner and movie. Tonight was most definitely fun." She waved to him with a smile and grabbed Ichigo's wrist. She pulled him with her, leaving Grimmjow standing with a blush planted on his cheeks.

The friends loaded the car and made their way to the hotel.

"I've never see you laugh like that in front of others," said Rukia. "At least not without Renji." She pushed on the gas more when the light turned green. She knew that she was bringing this up quick, but she wanted her friend to be careful. Plus, she thought that change in mood was really good, especially in Grimmjow's presence.

"Yeah," agreed Ichigo. The remnant of his smile faded.

Rukia noticed this and frowned. "That's not a bad thing, Ichigo," she mended. "I'm glad you're having fun, and I'm sure Renji would be happy to know that you were having fun, too." She gave a small smile as she glanced at Ichigo. "Plus, you didn't have to lift a finger to kick Grimmjow's ass. He was being very respectful toward you and me. Please, don't look so glum, or I'll tell Renji you were moping around."

Ichigo chuckled and replied, "Yeah. I guess he would, huh?" He sighed and said, "I miss Renji. I hope he's okay." The other agreed and wished Renji the best of luck. He looked up at the starless sky toward the moon. Ichigo figured Renji would be looking at the moon, too, so he smiled up at it.

_I miss you, Renji. May God watch over you._

**Author's Note:**

**OMB! My eyes hurt from holding tears...Yes, I was trying not to cry when I wrote Renji's death. I think there is no better way to die than dying for your country. **

**Also, Ichigo's getting along with Grimmjow more. That's a plus. He's just feeling a little confused about his "positive" feelings toward the other.**

**Sorry this took a while. I hoped you all liked the chapter, though.**

**Comment or do as you please. **


	9. The World Cries

**Chapter Nine: The World Cries**

Ichigo woke up to his cell phone ringing; he raised his head and searched for the phone from his position. The phone was on the table across from the bed, which was on the opposite side of the room from the table. He groaned irritably and shoved his face back in his pillow.

Rukia sat up with eyes wide. She hit Ichigo on the head with her pillow and complained, "Get your phone, Ichigo. I'm tryin' to sleep." She fell back on the bed and covered her face with her pillow.

"I don't wanna," whined Ichigo into his pillow. He sighed when Rukia nudged at him with her foot. His head rose and he said, "Alright, alright. I'll get my damn phone." He rolled off of the bed and settled on his feet. He wiped at his half lidded eyes and dragged his sock covered feet over the floor.

He was still in last night's attire, so his clothes were ruffled and hanging off in awkward angles. Ichigo finally reached the table and picked up the cell phone, which was ringing from its second call. He answered the call and grumpily greeted, "What?"

"Someone's a morning person," came an amused voice.

Ichigo's tired eyes shot open. _Grimmjow. _He turned around and ran to the bed. He hopped onto the mattress, making Rukia bounce. Just as she got up to curse Ichigo to high heaven, Ichigo said, "Oh, morning, Grimmjow. What time is it?"

Rukia's eyes blinked and her mouth gaped. She sat up and crossed her legs, making her dress ride up. She signaled for speaker, which Ichigo obliged to quickly. The speaker phone charred a little until Grimmjow's voice was clearly audible.

"About nine," replied the blue haired man.

Ichigo frowned and groaned. "Why are you up so early?" asked Ichigo. He rubbed at his eyes again as he stared at the phone.

"This isn't early," laughed Grimmjow. "Six a.m. is early."

The orange haired man rolled his eyes and said, "Well, nine is still early to me. You should call again in like a couple hours."

"More like a thousand hours," exaggerated Rukia from the side. She fell on her back with a sigh as she closed her eyes.

"Good morning, Rukia," greeted Grimmjow. "I'm on speaker, aren't I?" His chuckle made Ichigo's cheeks heat up and made his heart skip a beat.

"Morning," Rukia replied from her relaxed position.

Grimmjow's chuckle died down, and he said, "I called to invite you all to breakfast downstairs."

Rukia ruffled the blankets to get up. She focused on the phone, but she looked up when Ichigo whispered something to her.

"Fatass," whispered Ichigo with a smile.

Rukia stuck out her tongue. "I'm hungry," she mouthed.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and replied, "Which restaurant? There's like five down there." He was right. The hotel wasn't grand and rated highly for no reason. The hotel had many restaurants, work out rooms, spas, game rooms, and luxurious salons. Simply saying a restaurant would be too vague to anyone, including the owner.

Grimmjow replied, "The one right next to the bar. The pancake place."

"The one with the giant stack of pancakes with a smiley face," suggested Rukia.

"Yeah."

Rukia fist pumped. She looked to Ichigo with big eyes and pleaded, "Can we go?" She put her hands together and let herself fall on to Ichigo's lap while still putting up her puppy dog eyes.

Ichigo raised a brow. _Really? I think she's in love with this guy_, Ichigo thought. He chuckled at the last thought.

"What do ya say, ladies?" asked Grimmjow.

The orange haired man's right eye twitched at being referred to as a lady. He could practically see the bastard smiling through the phone. He looked at Rukia, who was still begging with her large eyes and cuddling with his abdomen. Ichigo silently sighed and asked, "What time?"

As Rukia hopped off of Ichigo's lap with a few fist pumps, Grimmjow answered, "In thirty minutes." Another telepathic grin was made in Ichigo's mind. "See ya there." The phone line ended with a beep.

Ichigo threw up his hands and said, "That bastard is only giving us thirty minutes." He looked to Rukia, but she wasn't there. He heard the shower going. "Damn it, Rukia! Don't take forever; I still need to shower, too!" bellowed Ichigo as he shook his fist in the bathroom's direction.

He tossed his phone toward the end of the bed and got off of the fluffy sheets. He cracked his back and walked toward the bathroom. He walked in to Rukia's humming and into a steamy bathroom. "So you're not singing this time," he said with a smirk. Ichigo picked up his toothbrush and squirt toothpaste on it. He, then, brushed his teeth.

"Very funny, Ichigo," said Rukia. She stuck her soapy head out and added, "At least, I don't try singing to 'I'm a flirt.'"

Ichigo spit out his toothpaste and looked back at Rukia with a look of shock. "Renji showed you that video?!" he asked incredulously. Toothpaste dripped from his mouth and onto his chin.

Rukia evilly smiled and replied, "Yup. I can't believe you sing in the shower. I've never heard you sing." She slipped back into the shower to avoid a pasty toothbrush to the head. She giggled and snorted behind the curtains.

"Uh!" growled Ichigo. He rinsed his mouth with water and wiped his mouth dry with a small towel. "I'm going to kick Renji's butt when he gets back!" declared Ichigo. "He'll regret the day he ever recorded me singing in the shower!" He walked out of the laugh filled bathroom and toward his suitcase. He pulled out a red checkered shirt and a white dago. He also pulled out some dark jeans and black boxers. He would fish for socks and find his sneakers later.

When Rukia came running out of the shower with the towel around her, Ichigo ran toward the bathroom as he stripped from his clothes. "Checkered shirt?! Really?!" called Rukia to the bathroom.

"Leave me alone!" replied Ichigo. He turned on the shower and quickly lathered himself in soap. "How much time do we have?" he called out.

"Eighteen minutes," replied she. Rukia quickly rummaged through Ichigo's clothes and swapped the checkered shirt for a white polo. She, then, fished out white dress pants and white socks. She looked under the bed, for Ichigo never stored shoes properly. Rukia pulled out some white shoes and put them at the foot of Ichigo's pants.

_Done. Now I have to-_ started Rukia.

The girl then slapped her forehead when she forgot that she didn't have clothes of her own. She dove back into Ichigo's suitcase and pulled out a long baby blue Hawaiian shirt and Ichigo's smallest boxers. She slipped on the clothes and pulled out Ichigo's belt, which she fashioned around her waist.

Ichigo came out drying his hair, but he stopped when he saw Rukia's attire. He pointed at her with narrowed eyes and said, "Either that's a dress or my Hawaiian shirt."

"You really think it's a dress?" asked Rukia. She looked down. "I was just going to wear it to run to my room down the hall." She went to the mirror and looked at herself. _Nope. I'm changing. _She turned and said, "I'll be back in five minutes. Get ready, and wear the clothes I picked for you." With those words, she ran out of the room with her dress and purse.

Ichigo sighed.

After ten minutes, Ichigo was riding the elevator in his white attire with Rukia, who was wearing a yellow dress. They walked to the designated restaurant and found Grimmjow sitting in a booth by the window.

Grimmjow looked up and smiled at Ichigo and Rukia. He got up and shook Ichigo's and Rukia's hands, and he gestured for them to sit down. Afterward, he made himself comfortable in his original seat. Just as he opened his mouth, a loud clap of thunder and a flash of lightning appeared outside. Then, a heavy rainfall poured down.

"I didn't know it was going to rain," Ichigo said to himself more than anyone else.

Rukia pulled out her phone and announced, "The weather report here is off. My phone shows me that today is supposed to be sunny." She looked at the glass, which was sloshed with waves of rain. She recognized that the seat had a great view of the nearby beach. The day looked really gray, though.

Ichigo took the time to look around the restaurant. There were white table cloths covering round tables and other booths. Table seats were white with sturdy cushions, and the tables were equipped with ketchup and other seasonings. The booths were the same, but the booth seats were more soft and cherry colored.

He put his arm on the table, making his skin rub against the smooth cloth. "This place is nice," he said under his breath. _Really fancy for a breakfast place_, he thought. Back home, fancy restaurants were usually in the downtown area, and the fancy breakfast places were usually old fashioned looking.

Grimmjow saw the down looks on Ichigo and Rukia, so he said, "How did you two sleep last night?" He smiled.

Ichigo looked up and bit his lip. "Okay," he answered. His eyes went down to concentrate on the smooth lines in the fabric of the cloth.

At the moment Ichigo saw Grimmjow, he was in trouble. The blue haired man was wearing a black sweater that was zippered down to show his white undershirt and collar bone. His pants were also black, but they were jeans. His shoes were simple loafers, but the texture of the shoes showed expense. The hair was always combed messily on purpose, and the smile was just natural. Then, there were the wave crashing eyes.

Grimmjow smiled and said, "Right now, the 'Thunder Song' would be really handy." His heart jumped when Ichigo looked back up with an amused smile.

Little did Ichigo know that Grimmjow was looking at him in the same fashion. Grimmjow couldn't believe that Ichigo's features could be brought out so much from just wearing white. When he saw Ichigo's eyes glittering in the remnants of the sun, the blue haired man had to look away quickly, for he might have been enchanted again.

Rukia looked over one of the menus piled at the center of the table. She tried her best not to drool at the various pictures of pancakes and omelettes. She was about to ask if the pancakes were good, but she was cut off by Ichigo and Grimmjow singing the "Thunder Song." She sighed and shook her head.

_I have a feeling that people are looking at us_, she thought. Her eyes traveled around, and she was right. People were staring at Rukia's table in both annoyance and humor.

After giving a hearty laugh, Ichigo took one of the menus and scanned the omelettes. He felt for an old favorite, ham and cheese.

A waitress came by and jovially asked, "Hello. My name is Momo, and I'll be your server today. Would you all like to start off with some drinks?" She held up a notepad and a pen.

Rukia said, "Chocolate milk for me."

"Orange juice," said Grimmjow.

Ichigo decided, "I would like chocolate milk, as well."

"Great choices," said Momo with a smile. She wrote down the requested drinks and asked, "Do you still need more time for decisions, or are you all ready to order?" She looked to the group.

Before Ichigo could open his mouth, he saw Chad running toward him. _Chad? _He rose from his seat and walked past the waitress. He met Chad halfway into the restaurant and asked, "You okay, Chad?"

Chad looked shocked and upset. He put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and said, "Come with me." He grabbed Ichigo's wrist and pulled him away. He led Ichigo into the bar, where Shiro was facing him with his hat at his side. Chad released Ichigo's wrist and said, "Shiro needs to talk to you."

Ichigo looked at Chad and then at Shiro. He approached his brother and asked, "Shiro? What are you doing back so early? Is Renji here, too?" He looked around, but his redheaded SEAL was nowhere to be found.

Shiro gulped and walked forward. He reached into his hat and pulled out Fang. He saw the shock in his brother's eyes as he handed the blade forward. His fingertips brushed along his brothers, and he swore he felt the same cold skin. He looked to his brother, but Ichigo was still breathing.

The white haired SEAL knew how his brother felt. Renji was his friend, and Renji was like family to Shiro. When he had heard about Renji's death from Shuhei and Ikkaku; he didn't believe it. He pushed away the knife and demanded to see the body. After a few arguments and harsh orders, Shiro finally saw Renji. He pulled off the white blanket and gaped.

Renji was still in his uniform with the sticky gauze on his ribs. Blood clotted the shirt and stained Renji's mouth and neck. Shiro reached out a hand and touched the other's forehead. When his warm fingertips tingled from the cold flesh, Shiro fell to his knees and wept. His forehead rested against the cold steel table as tears poured down his face. Shiro had made the sign of the cross that day; the first day he ever had to.

When Shuhei showed Shiro the knife again, Shiro took the knife and squeezed the sheath. He asked how Renji died, and when he was told how, he just pursed his lips in anger. Shiro cursed the bastard who killed Renji; he cursed over and over. The curses wouldn't bring Renji back, though. He just couldn't stand the fact that Renji was gone, and he couldn't bear the thought of telling Ichigo. He knew that an lower officer would visit Renji's parents with a priest, so he took it upon himself to tell Ichigo in person. Thus, he took the earliest flight back to Japan.

Now, Shiro looked upon glossy brown eyes and a frozen face. He looked down at the ground in sorrow. All he could say was, "I'm sorry to inform you that Renji Abarai is no longer with us. His duty as a SEAL was excellently carried, and his love for his country was great. He died honorably, and we were honored to have him as a part of our family."

"What?!" came the outcry of Rukia's voice.

Shiro looked up and saw Rukia standing at the doorway with Mr. Jaggerjack. He didn't say anymore; he just lowered his head to look at his brother. From the corner of his eye, he watched the girl run to Ichigo's side and hold his arm. He knew that she, too, would break down in his embrace.

Rukia met Renji when Ichigo introduced him to her. The girl was with Ichigo through all of the good and hard times during the relationship. By the second year, Rukia knew Renji just as much as she knew Ichigo. She had already claimed Ichigo as her brother, but that didn't stop her from claiming Renji as her brother, too. Her sadness was best described as losing a family member.

He reassured Rukia that Renji had passed; thus, Rukia buried her face in Ichigo's arm to cry. Shiro didn't mind the woman's soft wails, nor did he mind the other pairs of eyes set on him and the crying friends. He just focused on Ichigo.

Ichigo looked up at his brother and sniffled. He gripped the front of Shiro's jacket and pulled his brother closely. He buried his face in Shiro's uniform and unleashed the sobs that he didn't dare show to the world. His heart just dropped into a bottomless black pit and bounced in tatters on the spikes attached to the gray walls. He felt like he couldn't breath. His face was red and hot, and his eyes burned. His cries drained him of his air, making him gasp in between cries.

Ichigo clutched the knife and wrapped his arms around Rukia and Shiro. Rukia cried onto him, while he continued to cry on his brother. His tears spilled down his cheeks in thick streams, and his cries were muffled by his brother's uniform.

Shiro wrapped his arms around his brother and Rukia. He leaned his chin on Ichigo's head and closed his demon eyes. He cried his tears at Renji's side; he was done crying. He would mourn, but he wouldn't cry. Staying strong for his brother was the most important thing to him at the moment.

As Shiro held onto Ichigo and Rukia's crying forms, Grimmjow walked up to Chad. He didn't touch his best friend, but he stood there, unsure of what to do. He turned his head and looked at Chad. "Renji died?" he asked. Chad just nodded. "How?" he asked. From what he remembered, Renji was a strong guy with the ability to catch anything.

Chad looked from his crying friends to Grimmjow. His eyes were drooped, and his cheeks were streaked with dried tears. His locks of wavy hair was tousled from being pulled and clutched. The worst of his expression was the sad frown.

"He was stabbed in the ribs," answered Chad. "The knife pierced his right lung, causing him to drown in his own blood." His lips were sucked in, and a large hand wiped at the oncoming tears in his eyes. "Shiro told me he faced death without fear after realizing that he wouldn't make it. I would have to say that he faced death better than any other man could, including myself," he added. His gaze returned to his huddled friends.

Grimmjow was speechless. Renji was dead. There were no other words that could explain his mute state. He looked to Ichigo with sad eyes. He remembered the feeling of losing someone he loved, too. His heart throbbed painfully at the memory, so he held on to his shirt on his heart, as if to calm the pain with his own touch.

_You aren't alone, Ichigo_,he thought. _I, too, have lost someone I loved. I lost my love twice, in fact. Though, I doubt you would accept my sympathy, especially after the way I treated Renji. I doubt you would accept my hug, and I doubt you would want to hear my voice. _

_But, damn it, Ichigo. I've fallen for ya hard. I can't get you off of my mind. I keep remembering your beautiful smile and your angel eyes. If you tell me to forget you, I won't. If you tell me to stop chasing you, I won't. If you tell me to get lost, I'll stay near you. No matter what, I'll find a way to make you happy again. _

Grimmjow gulped and stood silently by Chad as the others continued their cries. "I'm sorry," he said to Chad. He looked up at the man.

Chad looked back down. He narrowed his eyes in question. "What for?" he asked.

"I'm sorry that he passed away," Grimmjow said. He did he feel he owed his friend something. The sad emotion burned into his heart and begged to be released unto someone who needed the sympathy. Thus, he apologized to Chad.

The brown haired man took in a deep breath and exhaled. "His death wasn't your fault," replied Chad. "So your apology doesn't belong to me. It doesn't belong to anyone in this room. It belongs to Renji himself. I don't know if you're religious Grimmjow, but when you go to bed tonight at home, kneel at your bed and pray for forgiveness. I follow the Catholic faith, while the others follow the Christian faith. If you are neither, then that's okay 'cause praying for forgiveness shouldn't be much to ask."

He looked at Grimmjow more seriously. "Get on your knees, hold your hands together, and pray. Pray to God to watch over Renji, then pray to Renji to ask for his forgiveness," he instructed. "The guilt you feel isn't for me or Ichigo; it's for Renji." He sighed sadly and looked back to his friends.

_Pray?_ asked Grimmjow. He never believed in any deities or the Buddha. Being told to pray was asking him to step out his beliefs. Chad was right about his feelings, though. He did feel the guilt swirling within him, and if praying was the answer, then he would do it.

Grimmjow nodded his head. "Okay. I'll pray," he confirmed.

At the moment Grimmjow confirmed he would pray, Ichigo had stopped crying. His eyes were closed, keeping himself in the dark void that was his body's sanctuary. He breathed against his brother's soft, lavender scented uniform. His head was at rest and rising and falling with his brother's breathing. He tried to inhale more air, but his chest hurt. He knew why: the thick cord of love that was attached from his heart to Renji's heart was severed. He thought he could feel the blood pouring from his heart.

He opened his right eye and looked down at Rukia, who happened to be looking up at him in return. Ichigo finally croaked, "How did he die?" The question was to Shiro.

Shiro sighed and briefly told Ichigo how Renji died, and he told his brother what Renji said upon his death. He felt his brother tense at Renji's apology and last declaration of love. He tightened his hold on his brother.

_I love you, too, Renji_, Ichigo mentally cried. _I love you, too. _

"King," said Shiro. He lifted his chin, so Ichigo could look up. When Ichigo did look up, Shiro continued, "I have an extra ticket if ya wanna go back t' the states an' see Renji one last time. The flight leaves tonight, though. I know the timin' is sudden, but I still have t' do my duty as a SEAL." He kissed Ichigo's forehead.

Ichigo quickly nodded his head and whispered, "Yeah." He looked down at Rukia and asked, "Are you going, too? It would mean a lot if you did."

Rukia nodded her head. "I wanna go," she said. "I wanna see him again, too."

Shiro rubbed at their backs and said, "Alright. We gotta start packin' up for tonight's flight. Rukia, ya gonna have t' buy a ticket." Rukia nodded. He wrapped his arm around Ichigo's shoulders and put a hand on Rukia's shoulder, then he led them out the door to go to their rooms.

Grimmjow had his head lowered when the trio walked by him. He turned back and watched Ichigo walk out without saying a word. He didn't get a chance to express himself. He didn't have the courage to speak Ichigo's name, so he stood there with his head turned, watching Ichigo walk away. Though, he didn't know that he wouldn't see Ichigo for two years. Two years from the day the world cried.

Two years later...

Grimmjow was at the foot of his bed on both knees. He rested both elbows on the blue blankets and connected his palms. He licked his lips and started his prayer. He had been praying to God and Renji for two years straight. Every night, he kneeled, prayed, and fell asleep. That was the pattern. After all of the praying, he would feel better during the night, but during the day, he felt the same guilt.

He did the sign of the cross, a ritual he had to learn from a nearby Christian group, and prayed, "Our Father who art in Heaven..." He continued his prayer until he begged, "Dear God, forgive me for my sins. I have sinned against a brother, and I ask you forgive me..." Then, he prayed, "Renji, if you can hear my voice, I also ask that you forgive me. I only wish that you rest in peace and help me lift the guilt that burdens me..."

After the prayer, Grimmjow pulled back the blankets, sat in bed, and turned off the black shaded lamp on the bedside table. He slid under the blankets and pulled them up to his waist. His blue hair fanned out against the pillow, and his left hand clutched at the pillow's underbelly.

"Good night, Ichigo," he said under his breath. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

As Grimmjow slept, Ichigo entered his brother's home. On Wednesdays, Ichigo always went to his brother's house to have dinner or watch a game. The tradition was set when Ichigo was told by his therapist that he had to start doing more social activities with family.

When Ichigo saw Renji one last time, he broke down on the inside. The confirmation of Renji's death hurt too much. He stopped going out, and he stopped trying to make new friends. Yeah, Rukia was to stay in Japan. That fact broke his heart, too. His heart seemed to crack even more when Byakuya had told Rukia she had to stay in Japan until she found a suitor. Apparently, the thought of an American husband made Byakuya cringe. Though, Ichigo was glad that Rukia called every other day to check on him and have a nice chat, but when she always asked for his health, he lied and told her that he was okay.

His health suffered badly, and his brother noticed. Shiro made an appointment with a therapist, who told Shiro that Ichigo was still suffering from his lover's recent death. Ichigo was told to start simple and do more social activities with family. From that day on, Ichigo was to visit Shiro once a week. He still went to the therapist, but he didn't really see how he could pour out more.

The better part of it all was that Ichigo was improving. His emotions were more stable, and he stopped lying about his health to Rukia. This was evident to Shiro and the therapist.

"Hey, King," greeted Shiro walking into the living room area. He embraced his brother and asked, "Did ya walk again?" He released his brother.

"Na," replied Ichigo. He smiled and said, "I actually took the bike." He thanked the invisible crowd in his wake. He was wearing a Bears jersey and dark jeans with sneakers.

Shiro was wearing the same thing, but he just wore shorts. "Ya ready to see that game?" Shiro asked. When Ichigo nodded, both men motioned to sneak into the television room, but a sweet voice stopped them.

"Oh boys," came Nel's voice. She appeared in the living area wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. "Now you both know that you can't watch a Bears game with pizza." She smiled sweetly and put her hands on her hips. She was wearing a white Bears jersey and cut pants.

The year after Renji passed away, Shiro and Nel finally married. Ichigo was still the best man, so he was there to help carry Shiro home from the after party. That was a night the couple and Ichigo would never forget.

"Ya ordered pizza?" asked Shiro with a smile. When Nel nodded and tossed the towel onto a nearby table, Shiro said, "That's my girl." He grabbed Ichigo's wrist and pulled him into the television room. The television room was a huge room with a large flat screen t.v. and a large coffee table for hold snacks. Bean bag chairs and recliners littered the place. All wrapped in a Bears themed wallpaper.

An hour later, Shiro and Nel were yelling at the top of their lungs for the receiver to keep running down field. They both jumped up and down when the receiver was only ten yards from the touchdown line before getting tackled.

"Almost!" bellowed Shiro. He pointed a pizza equipped hand toward the screen and said, "He's gonna take us to the Super Bowl!" He jumped up and hooted with joy.

"Hell yeah he is!" added Nel with just as much enthusiasm. She fist pumped and took a sip of her soda.

Ichigo chuckled at his brother and sister. Just when he was going to comment about Shiro and his habit of thrusting food into the air, his phone went off. He quickly pulled the phone from his pocket and went back out into the living room area. There, he stared at the blue wallpaper as he greeted, "Hello."

"Ichigo," came Rukia's voice. "How are you?"

Ichigo smiled and replied, "I'm fine. And you?"

"Great," came the reply. "I gotta ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Will you come to Japan this upcoming week? I know it's sudden, but I haven't seen you in two years. I wanted you to be here for my birthday. I can't stand just gossiping over the phone for twenty four hours. I need you here," asked Rukia.

Sudden memories flooded his mind. Japan. He hadn't thought of the place in a while. He remembered the parties at the hotel, and he remembered meeting Grimmjow. A mental smile was in place when he reminisced about seeing "Ted" and eating dinner at that fancy restaurant, but he mentally frowned when he remembered fighting with Grimmjow. He doubted that he would ever talk to the man again. After all, he did change his number and gave it to his family and Rukia. Was the change necessary? Ichigo didn't know. He thought that talking to Grimmjow would remind him of Renji too much due to the fight and the death. Thus, he cut himself off from Grimmjow.

Ichigo still smiled and said, "I don't think there's anything else important coming up, so I think I can. I just have to tell my boss that I'll be taking a week off. The old man hasn't cut me any slack anyway."

"Isn't your boss your father?" asked Rukia.

"Yeah," said Ichigo nonchalantly. He looked toward the window, where the sun was in the middle of the sky, creating lines on his face from the window's blinds. "I gotta go. A Bears game is going on, and Shiro will tackle me if I can't share any moment of the game with him." He chuckled along with Rukia. "See you in Japan."

**Author's Note:**

**So...what do you all think?**


	10. Reunite and Ignite

**Chapter Ten: Reunite and Ignite**

Ichigo did as he said. After celebrating a Bears victory with his brother, he told the white haired man that he would leave for Japan on the week of Rukia's birthday. Shiro was overjoyed that his brother was going to see Rukia, which meant that Ichigo was improving in the social department. Then, Ichigo told his father that he was leaving and wanted a week off from the clinic. Isshin didn't put up a fuss; he thought that a different environment would benefit his son. Of course, the orange haired man had to put up with hugs and kisses at the airport.

Despite the oddity of being publicly loved by his father at the airport, Ichigo embraced the love with open arms. Familial support was definitely Ichigo's greatest backbone at the time, so showing appreciation wasn't so bad. In fact, Ichigo hugged his father back much more painfully, making the farewell scene heartwarming to other passengers.

After enduring the long plane ride full of nothing but the sound of the engines and the annoying attendant's voice, Ichigo was breathing the Karakura air once more. He deeply inhaled the air and exhaled it in a sigh of both recognition and relief. He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched his muscles after gathering his things to wait.

Brown eyes looked out of the large windows that stretched over the walls and admired the city. He couldn't help but imagine himself arriving and leaving like he did two years prior. Ichigo's eyes followed the ghost footprints from the front, swiveling doors to the familiar line heading to America. Imagining his ghost brought a well known clench to his chest, so he placed his hand over his heart to try to soothe the ache.

Ichigo took another breath and looked away from the glossy, gray floor and ghost footprints to focus on spotting Rukia. Just as he looked toward the far right, he saw a billboard with a picture of a car. The sign read, "Pantera cars. Only drive the best." There was a slash of claw marks under the words.

The man had to blink when Renji's face flashed before his eyes. He thought, _Those marks look like the bruise I saw two years ago. _He squinted, then he shook his head. The therapist said he had to focus on the future and his ability to get well. Dwelling in the past was not going to help him. He needed to socialize.

_But that's so hard to do_, he thought again. Ichigo was always with Renji when the other was still alive, and he didn't need to socialize with much people because Renji kept him company when Rukia or his family wasn't around. Now that everything was different, Ichigo realized just how out of place he was.

He looked down at his white Jordans and shifted his feet awkwardly. The weight of his backpack didn't compare to the weight of his heart, which was pulling him down. The pain of the past was too much for his still tender heart, and the idea of overcoming the past was much more heavy. Two years, and he still felt the pull on the tender cords of his heart.

He really didn't want to forget Renji; he thought that forgetting the past meant to erase every memory he ever had. Ichigo didn't want that. He wouldn't do that. He never told anyone what he thought about forgetting his past. Ichigo felt that the therapist and his family didn't need to know. He had a right most of his personal thoughts, right? So why share them with others who didn't have as much of a right to his personal thoughts.

Ichigo sighed and traced the edges of jeans with his eyes. His fingers twiddled with the black backpack strap, and his abdominal muscles rippled anxiously under his red striped shirt.

_I won't forget you_, he thought.

"Ichigo?" came a soft voice.

The orange haired man looked up and gasped at the beautiful best friend he hadn't seen in a while. Rukia was professionally dressed in a gray suit and black shoes. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and her make up was only lip gloss.

"Rukia?" asked Ichigo as he stepped forward. His legs left the heavy suitcase at his side and carried him toward Rukia. "Is that really you?" he gasped. He wrapped his arms around the small woman and squeezed her with all of his might.

"It's nice to see you, too, Ichigo," choked Rukia in Ichigo's hold. She was plopped back onto the ground, and she inhaled a huge amount of air. The woman didn't make a move to frown or scold Ichigo, for she missed him just as much as he missed her. She sighed happily and smoothed her hair backwards.

Ichigo circled around Rukia and commented, "You look great. What job are you taking that requires you to dress so fancy?"

The small woman chuckled and answered, "I'm managing the financial branch of the family company. My brother thought that I would make great decisions to improve our spending and saving." She smoothed her jacket and looked straight at Ichigo.

When Rukia walked into the airport, she didn't miss the solemn look on Ichigo's face. He looked like he was concentrating too hard, and she felt that he wasn't feeling up to par as he did during their phone call. She saw the pain and thought that he was still thinking of the past and Renji.

"Are you okay, Ichigo?" asked Rukia. She folded her hands in front of her abdomen.

Ichigo tilted his head, then his eyes widened. "Rukia," he started. "I'm feeling fine. Why would ask something like that?" He gulped, for he knew that Rukia caught him sulking.

"Don't act like I didn't see you looking at the ground all sad," replied Rukia. She crossed her arms. Her eyes darted around and squinted at the large amount of people walking about. Their business was no one else's, so she wouldn't carry out the talk in public. "We'll continue this conversation in the car. Grab your bags and follow me," commanded she.

Rukia waited as Ichigo sighed and picked up his bags. She turned and walked out to the long black limo. The door and trunk were opened, then Ichigo and Rukia seated themselves as the driver loaded Ichigo's belongings.

"Well," pushed Rukia as she crossed her arms and crossed her legs. She was sitting across from the orange haired man, who sat back in his seat.

Ichigo's eyes dropped from Rukia's gaze. He didn't want to tell her that he refused to let go of Renji. The man gave him some of the best years of his life, so why should he forget? He bit his bottom lip when Rukia pestered him again for an answer. Brown eyes lifted as pink lips parted to speak.

_She's my best friend. I can trust her_, he thought. _What would she say, though? I don't want her to look at me like I'm still some sick puppy that can't let go of his love. If she looked at me like that, I think my emotions might just snap... Uh! Am I so fragile?_

With a lick of his lips, Ichigo finally answered, "I was thinking of Renji." He looked up fully and continued, "I thought of him because I saw a sign that had claw marks. The same type of claw marks that stained Renji's face in the form of a bruise." His head dropped back as he finished, "And I realized that I can't let him go. I still feel sad about what happened, and I feel that I'm sort of alone without him. After two years, Rukia, I still feel attached to the dead."

Rukia's eyes softened, and her pursed lips bloomed. She blinked when the car started and drove off from the airport. "Ichigo," she called out softly. When the other looked at her from his fragile position, Rukia said, "We all miss him: his friends, family, and I miss him. He was a brother to me, and I cared for him as such. Even though his passing was hard, Ichigo, we all still have to live on. It's not fair, but it's true.

"Don't recall his death, for that was only a one time event. Remember the great things. Remember his smile, his humorous jokes, his sweet nature, and his love for you. Remember all the fun times you had together.

"Remembering the great times isn't still being clingy to Renji; you're just keeping him in your memories. And, you don't have to let him go, Ichigo." She touched his knee and squeezed it with a smile on her face. She finished, "Keep him in your heart and your memory. That way he won't fade from you, and you can still move on knowing that he served his country and loved you with his all. Keep him, but don't cut yourself off from everyone else. Become stronger."

Rukia sat back and rested her hands on her lap. She smiled softly at Ichigo, waiting for him to respond.

Ichigo brought his head down from its perch and gulped. His eyes watered. _Rukia, you should be a therapist. If that's all I needed to hear and all I needed for someone to say, then why didn't I hear it sooner. You make so much sense, and I can't help but want to hug you for it. _A tear rolled down as he sniffled, but a smile graced his features.

"Rukia," he hiccuped with a brighter smile. "Why haven't I heard something like that in two years?" He slipped from his leather seat and kneeled at Rukia's feet. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her chest. "God, I wish someone told me that a long time ago," he said. He felt his hair get combed by small fingers.

As Ichigo cried brighter tears, Rukia continued to comb his hair and smile at Ichigo. _Gosh, Ichigo. If I had known you needed to hear me say that, I would have said something earlier_, thought Rukia. She hummed as she untangled the tousled spiky hair and smiled as Ichigo's cries died down. Her heart beat warmly when Ichigo started to hum along with her.

After ten minutes of peaceful silence, a window toward the front opened, and the driver called out, "We have arrived to the Kuchiki residence." The car stopped.

Ichigo sniffled and sat back on his calves. He looked up and said, "Thanks, Rukia. What would I do without you?" The woman shrugged, so he just smiled. He got to his feet and made his way out of the car first. When his Jordan made contact with white pavement, Ichigo looked up and gaped.

The residence was a small mansion. The entire Roman columned home was white with a black roof. Roses grew up the columns in wild, thorned vines, and bushes lined the side of the home. The doors were black with a Japanese engravings and held halves of a Japanese dragon.

"Welcome home," said the driver to Rukia and Ichigo.

After unloading Ichigo's things and settling him in the guest room, Ichigo was, once again, mesmerized. He stared at the fluffy white blankets and pillow after looking at the vintage styled armoire. His sparkled eyes traveled to Rukia.

"This is awesome," he said. He looked back to the room. His Jordans skidded happily across the polished wood as he ran and jumped on his bed.

Rukia rolled her eyes and announced, "I'll let you get used to your room." She chuckled when Ichigo rolled around on the bed. "Then, you gotta get ready," she finished. She turned and made her way to the door.

Ichigo popped in a sitting position and asked, "Ready for what?"

Rukia looked over her shoulder and answered, "I'm having a birthday party today, so tomorrow on my actual birthday, we can hit the town hard. Before the party, we're gonna shop like crazy 'cause we need some girl time to ourselves." She smirked and commanded, "Dress nice, too. I don't want to drag you back here to pick out an outfit." She left.

The orange haired man rolled his eyes and scoffed at the idea of dressing lamely. He hopped off the bed, bent over his black suitcase, and unzipped the zipper. He lifted the flap and peered into his pile of folded clothing. His blank expression soured. His clothes made absolutely no sense.

He slapped his forehead and mentally complained, _Rukia's gonna have a field day with me._

As Ichigo was dressing to get ready for shopping, Grimmjow was riding in his personally made Pantera brand car. He bought the car, of course, but he had it made to fit him.

He positioned the rear view mirror to look over the blue leather seats. He turned the silver knob on the radio, and R&B music blasted from the speakers lining the doors. The gleaming blue hood of his car made the lights from the Karakura buildings shimmer brighter.

Blue hair bounced as the wind soared through the strands and made the strands wave about. Ocean eyes peered over the black shades that concealed their watery gaze. The blurring people and the loud noises annoyed him.

Grimmjow wouldn't have been so annoyed if he hadn't have felt the regular guilt burrow its way into his system. His gut twisted, and the scenes of his encounter with Renji replayed in his mind. The worst part was that he let the images replay in his mind, for he felt that the guilt was his rightful punishment. To him, he deserved to feel the daily headaches and heart wrenching emotions, even if he did pray for forgiveness.

Rough fingers combed through soft hair as Grimmjow thought, _Maybe if I hadn't have hit him, I wouldn't have lost Ichigo._

When Ichigo left, Grimmjow tried calling him on the number he was contacted on, but the number always went to voicemail. From that day Ichigo left, the blue haired man continued to call on the same number at least three times a day. He called religiously for a month until the voicemail said that the number was no longer in service. He tried a few more times, but there was nothing. Grimmjow realized that he lost Ichigo for good, and he would feel the painful guilt and punishments for two years.

Grimmjow stepped on the brakes to halt his car at a red light. He sighed and laid his head on the headrest. _I pray to you, God, and I have not felt one morsel of forgiveness. I am tortured daily by the never ending guilt, and I feel as if you have no love for me. Don't you love me? Huh, God? I know you do. You love all your children._

_If you love me, you would allow me to see, feel, or hear the faintest bits of Ichigo's presence, and you would help me seek Renji's forgiveness. I shall continue to pray and ask for that bit of mercy._

Blue eyes shot open when a horn honked behind him. Grimmjow quickly looked forward and pressed on the gas. He cursed under his breath and cursed himself for dazing like that. He blew air through his clenched teeth and focused harder on the street ahead of himself.

"I need a coffee break," Grimmjow announced to himself, "and bad." With that, the blue haired man drove down a few more blocks and made a right. He pulled over to the side of the street and parked. When he got out, he inhaled the air and blew it out with his daily guilt seeping from his lips. He closed the car door, locked the car, and made his way over to the sidewalk.

His black business suit glowed in the sun's glare and outlined Grimmjow's masculine body. A red tie was tied around his neck, and a recently bought rosary hung under his dress shirt. He bought the rosary the week before because he thought that the relic would help him with his guilt; he couldn't help but feel wrong.

Grimmjow walked up to Harribel's Coffee Shop and let himself in. The green framed glass door made the bell ring twice upon the blue haired man's entrance. His dress shoes clacked along the hardwood floor that rivaled the shine of the glass chandeliers hanging on the ceiling. His large hand came to rest on the wooden counter with a cash register resting on it.

"Harribel," called Grimmjow. He waited for the blond haired woman to make her way over after attending to a customer. After a few moments, the woman finally appeared in front of him with her dress that had "Boss" labeled over her chest. He paid no mind to the large breasts or the pink short dress with an apron.

"Well," said Harribel in a bored greeting. "If it isn't the big bad player...You need a coffee for you and your hookers to share?" She put her hands on her hips.

Harribel was the owner of the coffee shop, and she was Grimmjow's friend. They met when Grimmjow tried hitting on her; the result was beaten into Grimmjow's groin. The woman wasn't into men, nor was she into even trying to lay with men. Grimmjow served as an example of both her preference and tolerance; as a result; most men avoided talking to her more than as a customer to an employee.

"No hookers, Harribel," said Grimmjow in a melancholic voice. "I've been clean for two years."

The blond didn't raise a brow as she continued to stare.

A blue brow raised, though, and Grimmjow asked, "I see you about every week, and you haven't noticed that I've been alone on all visits?" He frowned when the woman looked around and behind him. She just shrugged at him, and Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"You want your usual?" asked Harribel. She uncrossed her arms and made her way to the coffee pot, knowing that Grimmjow would want his black coffee. She poured the hot liquid and capped the drink. She handed the coffee to Grimmjow and said, "Two years, huh? I didn't know you had that in you."

Grimmjow shook his head and took the coffee. He stared at the lid and replied, "Me neither. That is until I met that one person I wanted so bad, and I lost him." He put the coffee on the counter and rested his head on his palm. "I feel like such an idiot." He heard the woman sigh.

"F.Y.I.," corrected Harribel, "you are an idiot. You really need to know when to fight and give up. You fight for an easy lay, but you don't fight for something you want." She tilted Grimmjow's head up and added, "That's messed up. The habit should be the other way around."

"But I already lost him," Grimmjow quietly whined as his eyes dipped.

Harribel rolled her eyes. "How does Chad put up with listening to you?" asked she. "You still see him, no?" When the other nodded, she finished, "Then, get off your lazy bum and talk to Chad. If I tell you what's up, then you'll just whine."

Grimmjow pouted and looked at Harribel defiantly.

"Don't make me slap you," said Harribel. "You know I hate that weak face." She crossed her arms.

"I did talk to him," announced Grimmjow. The conversation was fresh. The advice was fresh. The interactions were daily. The blue haired man seemed to be glued to Chad during the days and weekends. They would catch up on work events or talk about popular topics. The conversation rarely turned to the issue of Ichigo's disappearance and Renji's death. Chad was still touchy about the event, too, so Grimmjow didn't want to tear at any wounds. When the conversation came to so, he never asked Chad about what his next step should be, but he asked what his possibilities were. He always got the same answer.

_You can pray and hope, or you can just attend your job and move on. Of course, either choice would come with a cost. The costs between time and love. Pitting each one against yourself would be unfair, but they're there for you. No matter which choice you take, Grimmjow. I'll support you the best I can_, echoed Chad's words. To Grimmjow, Chad was like the most patient guru anyone could ever meet, especially during repeated conversations.

"You know what he's been saying," stated Harribel. "Just do what your heart says." She ruffled Grimmjow's hair and turned with a wave over her shoulder.

Grimmjow raised his hand to protest about the payment, but he was stopped when Harribel yelled over her shoulder, "Coffee's on me." She vanished in the back kitchen after picking up a large empty tray.

The blue haired man looked down at the cup and traced the white styrofoam and the fancy lettering on the cover. He just nodded his head and picked up the cup. He made his way out the shop with another couple of rings of the door bell, and he walked to his car. His blue eyes drifted upward and widened.

Across the street was a sight he never thought he would see. Did God answer him? Did fate want him to have another chance? Did he really reach out to God after two years of devoted prayer? Grimmjow didn't know.

The world seemed to pause. The birds were still in midair, the people were frozen in place, and the cars were halted in the streets. He felt rooted, too, and he felt his lungs compress. That had to be him; that had to be Ichigo. That had to be Ichigo dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans.

The other's hair licked the air lazily in orange blades, and his small smile lit up the street. Hands were tucked into the jean pockets, and eyes were focused on the walkway leading into the hottest store in Karakura, Vizard Fashions.

Grimmjow gulped and mouthed Ichigo's name. He meant to call out to the other, but his voice didn't follow. Why? His feet were heavily rooted to the ground, and his eyes were frozen in one direction. He watched helplessly until Ichigo pushed through the glass doors of the fashion store.

"Hey!" came a voice.

The blue haired man snapped from his trance and blinked. He put a hand to his head and dragged it down his face. He looked back and saw a man staring at him with a bit of concern.

"You alright, sir?" asked the same man.

Grimmjow sighed and just nodded. When the other tilted his head in questioning. "I'm fine," he said in a more reassuring tone.

The man just nodded and continued on his way down the street.

_I have to see you._

Vizard Fashion was a huge clothing store with three floors. The walls were white, and the roman pillars were white. The colors came from pictures on the walls and the clothing. There were numerous splashes of pink, green, and turquoise. There were splashes of red and purple on the pillars, looking like paint was flung around the room.

Jeans sat on racks near the walls, designer pants were modeled by maneqquins and folded in neat piles on tables, and jackets were hung on hooks along the walls. Women's clothing was organized the same way, but the dresses were put on special display near the entrance of the store.

Upon entrance, customers were greeted by a blond man named Shinji, who was dressed in odd colored clothes. The blond sat behind a green counter with a black register, and he had his feet propped on the counter with his hands behind his head.

When the entered and were greeted, Rukia darted for the dresses and started squealing about the different colors and designer brands. Ichigo shook his head and made his way to the men's section. He walked around and criticized the colorful pants based on color and texture. He made his way around the racks and came to face the wall, where he thought the regular pants would be.

He came face to face with a large painting of the sea. There was a merman with a large trident overlooking the sea with a scrutinizing look. The merman's chin was shaved, and his tail was a sea green with golden scales lining his waist and trailing up to his belly button.

Ichigo gulped, for the merman was looking at the sea with sky blue eyes as his hair flapped in the wind in sea blue waves. He saw a crown perched on the merman's head. He couldn't help but remember Grimmjow. The merman was like his spitting image, but there was green under the eyes that vined into the hair.

He just shook his head. _You'll never see that man again, so stop thinking about him. This painting is obviously of Poseidon_, he thought. Ichigo traced the gold frame of the painting with his eyes and stopped at a plaque on the bottom. Ichigo quietly mouthed, "The King looks out to the see in search of his lost love. Centuries of bare water do not deter his never ending gaze."

"Sad," commented Ichigo. He combed his hair with his fingers and turned away. He didn't want to think of the painting or love anymore. He had to move on with a mind that didn't fall into the question of love. He'd find it. He wasn't sure when, but he'd find it.

Brown eyes continued to search over the clothing for something that would look good on him. He was hoping that searching for the right outfit would avert his mind's thoughts of Grimmjow. He knew that was two years ago, so why does he feel compelled to think of the man now? He mindlessly searched over the fruity shirts and tight pants.

After some time, Ichigo was bored looking through all of the frilly clothing that was supposedly for men. He fingered a ruffled pink shirt and dropped it from his fingertips after sighing. He turned his sights on another piece of clothing and touched the fabric. He pulled out the shirt and looked at it. The shirt was blue with green scales attached to the shoulders. Ichigo quickly put the shirt back.

The painting flashed in his mind, and his thoughts went back to Grimmjow. The shirt just triggered everything again. Ichigo shook his head and tried to push the thoughts away. _Be critical, Ichigo. Just criticize the shirt and forget about him._

"How does a blue shirt have green scales on it? That's absurd fashion," he quietly complained under his breath. He dragged his eyes over the rest of the clothes and spotted a normal shirt. He was sure that he would be surprised with another odd addition to the simple cloth, but he thought that he should give the cloth a shot.

His hand reached for the neck of the hanger and grasped the thin plastic. He pulled it free, but he stopped when he felt a force stop him. Ichigo looked down at the hanger and noticed another hand on the hanger's shoulder. He looked up and gaped.

_Speak of the devil_, he thought.

Brown eyes gazed back into the ocean. He was frozen in place. His mouth was still ajar, and his hand was still on the hanger. He felt the sudden urge to swim in the ocean blues and free the crashing water that threatened the glassy seal.

"Grimmjow?" Ichigo suddenly asked. He blinked and let go of the hanger. He took a step back and tried not to gaze over the other. Ichigo looked down with a blush. He felt a warm hand touch his face, so he looked up. He tried just to look somewhere else, but the ocean swallowed him whole again. He was drowning.

The other nodded with a smile. "Ichigo," stated Grimmjow. He didn't care if they had been apart for two years. He had to see the other. He had to look into the other's eyes and make sure his angel was real. When he gazed upon the glittering doe eyes, his heart melted and started up in flames. His chest was warm, and his gut churned nervously. He couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto his face.

"Ichigo," he said again. He quickly embraced the other. Grimmjow knew that he was being really straightforward, but Ichigo was the one. He was Grimmjow's angel, and he wouldn't lose Ichigo again.

Ichigo didn't know what to say to Grimmjow. He was stuck in an embrace that had his arms locked between him and Grimmjow's broad chest. He could feel the muscles bunching and heaving warmth onto him, and when he inhaled air, he smelt Grimmjow's scent. He thought that he was smelling the sea.

He blinked and pushed against Grimmjow. He still remembered. Ichigo remembered, and he didn't want to get lost at sea again. The orange haired man would admit that he felt warm and safe in Grimmjow's arms, but he still didn't know Grimmjow too well. His last emotion was jovial, but he wasn't sure if that was something he could pick up after two long years.

"Ichigo," Grimmjow said as he continued the embrace.

"Grimmjow," said Ichigo. He really needed to get out of the hug. He wanted it, but he needed to be free of the sea. "Let go," he begged. The need for freedom dripped from his voice in heavy splashes.

The blue haired man gulped and did his best not to squeeze the other harder, then he let go. He looked down at Ichigo and put on a friendly smile. "You look good," he said in a low voice.

Ichigo looked down and replied, "Thanks." He didn't dare look up again.

"Sorry," said Grimmjow. He cleared his throat and added, "About almost hugging ya t' death." He chuckled lightly. The pounding heart in his chest beckoned him to kiss the other and look back into the doe eyes, but he didn't want to scare the other any more than he felt he already did.

"That's alright," answered Ichigo. His eyes looked up Grimmjow's body until he stopped at the lips. He knew that if he looked higher than the lips, he would be swept away at sea for good. "How've you been?" he asked.

Grimmjow smoothed his hair back and answered, "I've been okay." His blue eyes trailed over the other and appreciated the glowing beauty that burned brighter than their last encounter. "How about you, Ichigo?" he asked. He felt a slight shiver travel through his body and create goose bumps along his skin. Just saying Ichigo's name made him want to fall off of his feet.

"I've been alright," replied Ichigo. He looked to a tacky shirt and frowned. "It's been two years," he said bluntly. He heard a sad sigh, making his heart jump. Did he just hear the other's true emotion?

"That's too long," said Grimmjow. He wanted Ichigo to be his, and if that was going to happen, he needed to break the ice again. This time, he would keep the frozen wall down for good.

"Yeah," said Ichigo looking to another shirt.

"Look," started Grimmjow as he put his hands into his pockets, "I'm sorry about everything that happened two years ago. I never did get a chance to give my condolences to you. I prayed to God and Renji to give the man my condolences and apologize myself."

The orange haired man could feel the sad emotions and guilt pouring from the other's words. He felt that at times, especially when he thought too hard about Renji's death. Ichigo looked up and did his best to resist the strong pull of the ocean waves. "You didn't kill him, Grimmjow," he said. "That was the past, and the memory will always be there. But, I won't dwell on it. You should do the same. I have forgiven his murderer, and I have forgiven you a long time ago. Don't feel sad anymore."

He saw the ocean's waves die down a bit. There was a soft swirl in the water, but the foamy waves weren't threatening anymore. Ichigo could stand and look straight into the ocean without feeling the pull.

Grimmjow didn't know how Ichigo saw through him. He felt as if the other just reached into his soul and pulled out his true emotion. He blinked when he saw Ichigo start to turn away. Grimmjow quickly grabbed the other's arm and let go just as quick when Ichigo shook him off.

"Ichigo," he started, "when can I see you again?" When he didn't get a straight answer, he quickly went in front of Ichigo and begged more than asked, "Can I see you tomorrow?"

Ichigo licked his lips and asked, "What time?"

"Two," said Grimmjow in a lighter tone. "Does lunch sound okay?" When the other nodded, he gulped and asked, "Where are you staying? I'll pick you up." He pulled out his phone and opened up the note pad. He typed in the address Ichigo gave him and stored it in his phone. Grimmjow blinked when Ichigo took the phone and typed something into it.

When Grimmjow got his phone back, he looked at the screen and saw the other's phone number. He looked up and saw Ichigo walking away. His heart was jumping, but it didn't jump in sadness or nervousness. His heart was dancing for joy because he would see his Ichigo and those angel eyes.

Ichigo walked toward the dress section and spotted Rukia. Telling her everything wasn't the first thing on his mind. He couldn't believe he gave the other his friend's address and his phone number. He couldn't believe he heard Grimmjow's emotions as clear as day, and he couldn't believe Grimmjow wanted to see him. Overall, he wasn't sure if he was okay to move on like that.

He saw Rukia hold up four dresses, and he had to smile as she jumped around with a huge smile. He'd tell her later.

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, I'm horrible. I meant to update this two weeks ago, but my internet back home turned off. :'( So I couldn't do anything. Then, I started college, so I had to adjust first. But! I did work on this over time, so I could put it up this weekend.**

**I hope you all liked it, and I hope you all look forward to the next chapter. It'll be called "I Forgive You." I know I'll enjoy writing the next chapter. **

"**Warrior's Fate" will be on hold for a bit. That story will require more thought than usual, so I want to finish "Angel Eyes" first. We are not too far from the end, and the end is not too near. I hope that makes sense. I'll still write other stuff like one shots, but "Angel Eyes" will be my main story focus.**

**See ya soon.**


	11. I Forgive You

**Chapter Eleven: I Forgive You**

Rukia sat on her sofa, smiling idiotically at her friend, Ichigo. "You mean to tell me that you both found each other, and you actually gave him your number?" she asked sitting forward. The cushions supported her small body, making her look like a small dog on a large pillow.

Ichigo nodded. He was seated on a purple pillow; his chest was at level with the coffee table in front of him. His hands rested on both knees, and his legs were crossed. He had told Rukia of the whole situation after her family birthday party, which he thought was the more appropriate time of the day.

"Yes!" cheered Rukia. She jumped to her feet and hooted some more. She knew that she looked like a complete oddball in front of Ichigo, but she could care less about his thoughts on her outburst. She was happy. Happy for Ichigo. She had really good reasons, too.

She didn't miss the glow in Ichigo's eyes when he told her about meeting up with Grimmjow at Vizard Fashion. To a girl, glowing eyes meant something more than just simple happiness. Next, she could hear the slivers of joy bolting from his mouth when he told the tale. Joy was definitely a signaling emotion in the situation. Lastly, she could see Ichigo's entire expression was one of complete interest. The way he talked about meeting up with Grimmjow seemed all too jovial, despite his remark about not being ready to be anywhere near affectionate to any man at all. Ichigo didn't shy away from mentioning Grimmjow's name or mentioning how nice he looked in a black suit; everything poured out naturally and enthusiastically.

"You have to go!" announced Rukia with fists on her hips. "You will look sexy, too! I shall strive to make you look absolutely eye catching, and I shall not stand idly by and accept those clothes you call regular attire." She walked around the brown coffee table and loomed over Ichigo.

Ichigo didn't look amused at the last statement, but his glowing expression was still there. "My clothes are fine, Rukia," he said crossing his arms. "I just have a more laid back taste." He raised a brow when Rukia tsked at him.

"Either way," said Rukia, "you'll look great." She gestured for him to get up and added, "Get up. We have to get you pre-prepared for that lunch tomorrow."

"I still doubt that I want to have anything close to a relationship with another man, Rukia," objected Ichigo. "I don't see how I can dress nice if I'm not sure I want to keep seeing Grimmjow." He looked down at his hands, which gathered toward his body and clutched at one another.

_I can't move on like that, can I?_ he asked himself as he looked at his hands. He felt two smaller hands take hold of his cheeks and pull his face upward. His brown, sparkling eyes looked up at Rukia for an answer to the question he did not project.

Rukia gave a small encouraging smile and said, "You don't have to move in that direction, Ichigo. You can just say you want to be friends. Nothing is more important than the bond of friendship, especially if Grimmjow is as persistent as you say he was." She jerked her head toward the hallway.

Ichigo could only smile at Rukia. To him, the woman was really smart. _Gosh, Rukia. You sure know how to make me feel better. I'm glad you're my friend._

He nodded his head and got to his feet. He walked with Rukia down the hall and made his way into his room. He threw open his suitcase and dumped all of his new clothes on the bed. He spun around to face Rukia, threw up his arms, and said, "Okay, Rukia. Work your magic."

Rukia cracked her knuckles and smiled. "You got it, bro," she said in more American voice. She giggled and got to work on rifling through Ichigo's clothes. She piled different types of clothes separately and hummed at anything she deemed worthy of attention or worth hiding under the bed. After five minutes of working through clothing, Rukia spun around and waltzed toward the new clothes. She fingered each cloth carefully and hummed to herself.

The woman looked at Ichigo and smiled. "I know what you're going to wear," she said. She quickly grabbed a shirt from the bed and rifled for the pair of pants she saw.

_I know you're there!_ Rukia swore as she looked. When she did see the pair of pants, she grabbed them and fist pumped in victory. Then, she held up the ensemble of clothing to Ichigo, who eyed the clothing with a critical eye.

_I did buy them_, thought Ichigo. He smiled and nodded his head.

"You're the best, Rukia," said Ichigo. He hugged his friend and took the clothing in both hands. He went to the mirror near the other wall and held the clothes against himself. He thought the choices were wise. He didn't look fruity, he didn't look unworthy of attention, and he didn't look like he wouldn't get a man with just one look. Such was the magic of Rukia Kuchiki's fashion taste.

"I have a gift," conceited Rukia as she inspected Ichigo. "With a little bit of mascara and gloss, you'll look drop dead fantastic."

Ichigo looked back at Rukia from his reflection and asked, "Do I really have to wear the gloss?"

Rukia put her hands on her hips and answered, "Yes. As your personal advisor, dresser, best friend, and sister, I believe the gloss would make everything pop out." She walked next to Ichigo and pointed at the mirror. "Look," she said. "That's the face of a strong man with the best damn eyelashes and lips in the world. You're one of kind, Ichigo. Don't forget that." She smiled at the mirror and sighed.

Ichigo absorbed Rukia's words and looked at himself more closely. He noticed that his lashes were awesome: his lashes stretched out and curved upward gracefully. Then, he looked at his mouth and noticed that his lips were plump and pink. _I've been looking like this for how long, and I haven't taken the time to actually look at myself?_ Ichigo scolded himself. Rukia was right.

He looked at Rukia when he saw her reflection quietly yawn. Ichigo smiled and said, "You should get to bed." He turned from the mirror and draped the clothing over his right arm. He met a defiant looking Rukia, who frowned then yawned again. "Come on, Rukia. I'll walk you to your room."

Rukia pouted. "Can't I stay here?" she asked in a tired voice. She hummed a sigh and rubbed at her eyes; she tapped on her cheeks to stay awake. When her head drooped, she shook her head and slapped herself, but the actions didn't keep her awake.

"I guess the party took more out of you than we thought," chuckled Ichigo. "Yeah. Why not? I haven't had a woman in my bed for two years." He received a playful punch on the arm, and he laughed.

"For a gay guy," said Rukia with a tired expression, "you have more puns than a straight guy." She shook her head and added, "Let's just go to sleep." She turned, ran, and jumped on Ichigo's bed. She landed on the bed with a loud "umphf!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes with a smile. He had always joked with Rukia that way. He set the clothes on a nearby chair and walked toward the bed. He grabbed all of the new clothes and tossed them with his other clothes on the floor. He sat on the bed and rubbed Rukia's back, making the girl hum in approval of the brotherly affection.

He remembered the first time he joked with Rukia. Ichigo forgot to tell the girl that he was gay, so Rukia took it the wrong way. After enduring Rukia's wrath, Ichigo had apologized and told her that he was gay. When the girl heard that, Rukia smiled and hooted with the oddest glee. Apparently, Rukia always wanted a gay friend. After that, he and Rukia were as close as an apple to pie.

Ichigo patted Rukia's back and got back to his feet. As he walked to turn off the light switch, he reminisced some more. He recalled the day he joked with Rukia when Renji was present. Renji didn't want to admit that he got a little jealous, so Rukia had to beat it out of him. The sight was hilarious. Renji couldn't hit a girl, so he had to sit there and cover his head while Rukia pulled at his hair and pinched his cheeks.

_That is one memory, I will always keep in my heart_, thought Ichigo with a smile. The thought of Renji still made his heart ache a little, but he could bear it because Rukia said he could always keep Renji close to his heart. _The question is: will I be able to move on?_ Ichigo thought to himself. He flipped the white switch on the wall and turned around to walk to his bed.

As he walked he both whispered and thought, _God, give me guidance. _Using the guiding moonlight cascading into the bedroom between the curtains of his window, Ichigo walked to the other side of the bed and plopped down on the soft clouds for sheets. When his head landed on the fluffy pillow, his eyes closed and slumber took him.

_Ichigo_, came a voice. The voice echoed in the dark abyss of Ichigo's mind.

Ichigo shifted in his slumber and tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't open them. He put more effort in to opening his eyes, which he struggled with for a few more moments. When he did open his eyes, he was in a tilted world. He looked down and was standing on the pane of a glass window. He stepped away from it and stood fully on the concrete. He looked from left to right and noticed that the ground and sky were on either side of him.

"Where am I?" he asked aloud. He scanned the area and saw no people, heard no sound, and felt no breezed.

_What is this place?_ he asked himself in his mind.

_Ichigo_, came the voice again. Ichigo recognized the voice. He turned around and was staring at Renji. The other was wearing his SEAL uniform with his hair braided down his back.

"Renji?" called Ichigo. His eyes were wide and his breath was gone. He took in a sip of air and exhaled a small cry. "Renji!" he called out with a smile. He ran to the other and hugged Renji. He didn't fall through; Renji was solid. He looked up at taller redhead, who smiled in return. His face felt warm, and his eyes burned.

Renji brought up a hand and wiped away a stray tear on Ichigo's cheek. "Why are you crying?" asked Renji.

Ichigo smiled and answered, "I miss you."

"And I you," replied Renji, who hugged Ichigo back. After a few seconds, Renji let Ichigo go and looked down at him.

Ichigo gave Renji a kiss on the cheek and asked, "Where are we? How are you able to see me? In my dream, I mean." He looked up at the other again and noticed that Renji's eyes were sparkling, and the other's red hair was glittery.

"This is your inner conscience, which allows us to converse in privacy," answered Renji.

The orange haired man looked around once more and said, "My inner conscience seems blank." He shrugged and looked back to Renji.

"As for 'how,' God sent me to speak with you," continued Renji. "He called upon me and told me that I had to put you and another son at peace." He smiled brightly and squeezed Ichigo's arms with a bit of excitement.

"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo. He held onto the other's arms, too, and looked up at Renji with a quizzical look.

"Ichigo," started Renji. His voice was full of happiness, and it made Ichigo want to smile. "Rukia already told you what you needed to hear; I'm here to confirm it. I may be gone physically, but I'm always watching over you. I am here." He put his hand on Ichigo's chest and added, "I'm here in your heart."

"Because I'll always remember you," Ichigo subbed for an explanation. The hand on his chest was strong and warm; he could feel it through his clothing. He wanted to hum from the soft touch.

After taking his hand off of Ichigo's chest, Renji shook his head and corrected, "Because I still love you as much as you still love me." He smiled and continued, "Don't be afraid to move on, either. Don't let your love for me interfere with your decisions. I will always love you; no action could ever break that feeling.

"Live, Ichigo, and make your life the way you want it. Seeing you sad for two years nearly broke me. I cried for your sorrow, and I felt that your sadness was my fault. Then, God spoke to me and told me to stay strong for you, for I may be needed by you someday. So I stayed strong and watched over you from above.

"When God asked me to come to you, I praised him for giving me a chance to see you and soothe the pain. Thus, I am here, but he also told me to soothe the pain of another, which I didn't mind one bit, especially coming as a command from the mighty Lord.

"So smile for me once a day, okay? This meeting is a blessing for you, me, and the other son." He gave Ichigo a kiss on the forehead.

"Dear Lord, you are truly kind," thanked Ichigo as he smiled and accepted Renji's kiss.

Renji stood up straight again. "As for the other son," continued Renji, "tell Grimmjow that God and I have forgiven his sins."

Ichigo raised a brow and asked, "Grimmjow?"

Renji nodded and explained, "He's prayed every night for two years. He would apologize to God, then he would apologize to me. I have listened to him every night, too, and he would beg for freedom from the guilt that eats at his soul. So tell him, Ichigo, that I forgive him, and he can rest."

The orange haired male nodded and sniffed. "I love you, Renji," he said. He gave Renji another hug and smiled against the other's chest.

"And I love you," answered the redheaded SEAL. After hugging Ichigo back for a few more seconds, he let go, sliding his hands from the other's grasp. He adjusted his cover and stepped back. "Live," said Renji. He stood erect and gave a salute. Within moments, the dream faded.

Ichigo sat up in bed panting. He put his hand to his chest and clutched at the shirt. He was blind in the dark that still coated the room, and he couldn't comprehend what just happened. He knew what happened, but he wasn't sure why Renji couldn't visit his dreams earlier. The faint whisper of Renji's advice, "live," echoed in his mind.

He took a deep breath and exhaled a slight whimper. His fingers wiped away the sudden beads of sadness and fell back to his chest. He could still feel the faint warmth of Renji's touch on his chest. He looked up to the ceiling blindly and declared, "I will live... Thank you, Renji." He laid on his back and closed his eyes to the dark abyss once more. This time, there was no dream.

At one thirty in the afternoon, Grimmjow was leaving the office. He stepped into the nearby elevator and pressed the clear button with the number one. He didn't carry a briefcase, for he believed briefcases were for sissy businessmen. He was still dressed professionally; his suit was gray and his shoes were black. His hair was gelled at the sides, while the top was slightly combed back. He never could get rid of his baby hair bangs.

Grimmjow checked his watch and tapped his foot. _Why did I have to have my office at the very top of this damn building? Why the hell did I listen to that guy with that sixty-six floors idea? _he cursed to himself. Blue eyes shot up to the red numbers that indicated the floor he was on.

"Fuck," he cursed aloud in the lonely gray elevator. "Thirty-one in five minutes. You've got to be kidding me." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. He whistled a made up tune to occupy himself as he waited for the elevator to reach floor one.

He heard a ding and looked up. _Fuck! Only twenty-nine_, cursed Grimmjow. He cursed himself again for the sixty-six floor idea. His blue eyes lowered and fell upon one he hoped not to see, Luppy.

By all means, Luppy was a good worker, intelligent, and very focused. The only characteristic that Grimmjow couldn't stand was Luppy's tendency to make every moment extremely awkward, especially when he made shifty eyes at others and wasn't afraid to speak his feelings.

When the violet eyed man entered the vicinity of the elevator, Grimmjow did his best to keep looking at the numbers at the top. He didn't want to talk to Luppy; he really didn't want to end up in a awkward elevator moment.

"How was your day, Mr. Jaggerjack?" asked the strange man. He held a briefcase and wore a plain black suit.

_Shit!_ thought Grimmjow. _Does he have to sound awkward?_

Grimmjow looked to the shorter man and forced a small smile. "My day was great, Luppy? How's work in the office?" he replied. He looked at Luppy, but his focused vision was on the crevice of the elevator in the man's directions.

"Wonderful, Mr. Jaggerjack," replied Luppy with a girlish smile. "I just had a wonderful time correlating the data for the company sales and predicting sales for the next year. I must say that everything looks very charming." Luppy looked Grimmjow up and down and asked, "Someone seems anxious."

The blue haired man didn't answer. His Ichigo was his business. Luppy had no right to that kind of information.

"No need to look so upset," waved off Luppy.

Grimmjow looked to Luppy with a confused face. One brow was raised, while his mouth was shut in a frown. He uncrossed his arms and casually put them in his pockets. "I'm not upset," he defended. Blue eyes looked back to the numbers to show Luppy that Grimmjow wasn't interested in the conversation anymore. He tried not to frown when he heard the other sigh with a girlish huff.

Luppy looked up at Grimmjow and said, "Good luck on your date, Mr. Jaggerjack." The elevator rung, revealing the main lobby.

Grimmjow watched Luppy leave, and he could only stare in amazement. _How the hell did he know?_ he asked himself. After shaking his head from thinking about the event any longer, Grimmjow made his way out of the elevator and into the throng of people in the lobby.

He occasionally nodded his head and smiled when workers addressed him or bid him good day. Grimmjow had to stop and shake hands with a man who was visiting his company because Pantera brand cars were simply beautiful. Why the man was visiting the office building puzzled Grimmjow, but he didn't care. He had to see his Ichigo.

When the brief meeting was over, Grimmjow looked at his watch and almost yelped in surprise. He had ten minutes to get to the address he was given. _Shit!_ he cursed for the hundredth time that day. Grimmjow slipped through the last wave of people and exploded out onto the pavement after pushing open the clear doors.

He quickly turned and ran for the parking lot behind the building. He didn't stop until he reached his car door. He quickly pulled out his keys and hit the unlock button. Then, he climbed into the driver's seat and inserted the key into the ignition. He turned the key and quickly pulled on his seatbelt. With the same speed, he turned his head and reversed out of the parking lot and drove into the street.

Grimmjow quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and blindly navigated to the notepad on his phone. After a few moments, he looked down and read the address out loud as he kept looking back and forth between the phone and the street.

_Where?! _he panicked. _That's a little more than ten minutes away. Shit!_ Grimmjow tossed his phone on to the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel with a new fury, nervous emotion. He rotated the steering wheel and made a left. He cursed when a car turned in front of him after completely turning on to the next street.

"Asshole!" he cursed aloud. Grimmjow quickly made his way on to the next lane and sped past the douche that cut in front of him. He really didn't have time to open the window and give the driver his signature finger. Grimmjow made another right, then he made his way down a large main street.

"I got time," Grimmjow reassured himself. "I got time." He made his way down the street for a few minutes and turned at the designated street. He looked out his windows to look at the address numbers on the pillars of gates and brick walls. He hoped that he was close by; he looked at the address numbers once more and felt a wave of brief relief. He was only a few homes away.

Grimmjow pressed down on the pedal and pulled up toward a home with grand decor. He turned off his car and stepped out of his side. He closed the door after slipping his keys into his pocket. Grimmjow tugged gently at the collar of his jacket and smoothed out the pants. His fingers made their way to his hair to check that nothing was out of place.

He sighed a breath of relief when he found that he wasn't damaged. Grimmjow put on a more brave smile and made his way to the path leading toward the door. He was impressed at the Roman columns and the dragon door.

_Quite the choice of architecture_, he mentally noticed. _Roman and Japanese... Who would have thought that the owners were interested in something other than their own culture?_

Just as Grimmjow got to the foot of the steps at the front of the home, he heard the large doors open with a loud creak. He looked up and gaped. Nothing could compare to the sight in front of him; the mansion didn't get him to drop his jaw. Thus, the sight he was witnessing was far better. _He's beautiful_, thought Grimmjow.

Ichigo shyly smiled. His cheeks were tinted with bits of pink, and his doe eyes were cast downward. He looked back at another, who was Rukia. The woman nodded at him, and Ichigo nodded back with a smile. He mouthed, "Thank you." Then, Rukia closed the door, leaving the two men alone.

He had told Rukia of the dream he had, and Rukia was super happy that Renji finally knocked the final pieces in to place for Ichigo. Ichigo was able to say that he wanted to try dating again and that he wanted to give Grimmjow a chance. He owed that bravery and decision to Rukia and Renji. He thanked Rukia and prayed to Renji to give his thanks. He thought he got a response when his chest lit with great warmth.

The orange haired man turned around in his black shoes, and tucked his hands into the pockets of his dark dress pants. His untucked, red shirt crinkled every time he moved in an awkward motion. The black band around his wrist shined in the sun, the black studs in his earlobes glinted, and his black necklace was in beads with a small eagle on the end.

The clothes were the last to get Grimmjow's attention. He couldn't help but stare at Ichigo's prominent eyes and glossy lips. He gulped, closing his mouth. _After two years, I'm still acting like a dumbstruck teenager_, thought Grimmjow. _I'm sure he saw me gaping like an idiot, too._

Ichigo chuckled to relieve the silence and finally said, "You wanna get going, Grimmjow?" He stared at Grimmjow's blushing face.

_Funny_, thought Ichigo, _he was much more confident two years ago. How cute of him to blush and feel just as awkward. _Knowing that the other felt just as off as he did made him feel more comfortable. He smiled and walked toward Grimmjow. _I have something to tell you_, he mentally announced. _But I'll tell you later._

"You look great," commented Ichigo looking Grimmjow up and down. The other's suit just made the other radiate both masculinity and professionalism. A smile appeared on Ichigo's face when Grimmjow stuffed his hands into his pockets and smiled a tad bit bashfully.

"So do you," replied Grimmjow. He felt the warmth in his chest double when Ichigo smiled and blinked his long lashes. He gulped again and added, "You hungry?" He really didn't want anything to be super awkward, but he figured that would be hard when the entire situation was awkward. His shifting feet and fiddling fingers were the trademark of awkward at the moment.

Ichigo nodded and asked, "Are we gonna stand here, or are we going somewhere?" He kept his smile when Grimmjow stuttered and asked him to follow. He shook his head.

Grimmjow couldn't believe he stuttered like he did. The whole way he walked to the car he had his hand on his mouth to prevent any other traitorous mumbles from escaping. He wanted to make the best impression possible. He knew that one more mistake could cost him Ichigo, so everything he did had to perfect. At least, that's how the thoughts ran around in his mind.

The blue haired man didn't know how adorable he looked to Ichigo, though. To Ichigo, the stutter was absolutely cute and attention drawing. He found that a man's little faults were just the bread crumbs of the larger and better personality.

_Why is he covering his mouth?_ Ichigo mentally asked. He walked faster to catch up to Grimmjow and quietly chuckled when he heard Grimmjow grumbling to himself. He averted his gaze toward the gates, making his eyes widen at the car. _Is that even real?_ he asked himself. _How does someone have a car like that? I don't think that design's anywhere else._

When they got to the car, Ichigo's door was opened, so Ichigo sat down. _Whoa. This car is really- _The orange haired man jumped when he felt an object reject his seating. After the car door closed, Ichigo lifted his hips and grabbed at the contraption that was poking his butt.

"A phone?" he asked aloud. "Someone texts and drives." Ichigo held out the phone until Grimmjow got into the car. When the other looked at the phone, Ichigo said, "I believe this is yours." The other blushed, so Ichigo just smiled.

Grimmjow took the phone and replied, "Yeah, sorry. I was uhhhh...frustrated with it, so I sat it down." He quickly turned away and closed his door. Then, he put on his seat belt. When he heard the faint click of the other seat belt, Grimmjow looked at Ichigo and gave a warm smile.

"Thanks for..." Grimmjow looked down whilst rubbing the back of his head, "Thanks for agreeing to today. I missed you." He felt his cheeks warm up more as he dug in his pocket and pulled his keys free. He turned on the car and settled both hands on the wheel.

"Nervous, Grimmjow?" asked Ichigo. He had his hands folded on his lap, and he was looking at Grimmjow with a comfortable stare.

The blue haired man let out a sigh and replied, "Yeah." He laid his head on the headrest and added, "Very nervous."

_Funny how he read me like that_, thought Grimmjow. His eyes rolled to look at Ichigo, who was sitting and smiling. To Grimmjow, that was the posture of an angel, a patient angel. Just as Grimmjow was going to give bigger smile, he felt that wave of stomach turning pain wash over him. He frowned and brought his head forward.

To be sure that God would be with him the whole way, Grimmjow touched the outline of the rosary under his shirt and performed the sign of the cross. He looked back at Ichigo and lied, "For safety precautions." Ichigo's expression didn't change.

The orange haired man studied Grimmjow's actions. _This guy is an open book_, thought he. Ichigo frowned when Grimmjow shifted uneasily and put the car in to drive. He continued to watch the other as Grimmjow drove. He noticed the frowns and the constant shifts. He caught the sighs and the forced smiles in his direction. _He's in pain_, Ichigo concluded. _I can't see him like that. Renji would want me to put him at ease._

"Grimmjow?" called Ichigo. His head was against the headrest and turned toward the driver.

"Yeah," answered Grimmjow with a small smile. He glanced at Ichigo and pulled to stop at a red light. "What's up?" He looked at Ichigo completely.

Ichigo looked into those sea blue eyes and felt the cold chills of the sea wind captivating him. The sea wind was slow and gloomy. The ocean eyes were fogged with a type of unrest that the orange haired man assumed to be the guilt Renji mentioned.

"I had a dream last night," Ichigo started, "and Renji was there." His eyes saddened when Grimmjow frowned deeper.

"Yeah?" asked Grimmjow. "Was he healthy?" He pressed on the gas and rode down the block; he made a left on the busy street.

"He came to me in my dream," said Ichigo. He hugged himself and continued to look at Grimmjow. "He wanted to tell me something about you." He saw blue brows dip due to confusion. "Renji told me that you prayed to him and God for two years, Grimmjow, and he, along with God, believed you shouldn't have to suffer anymore. He said for you to rest at peace, for he and God forgive your sins." His body jumped a few times as Grimmjow pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant.

Grimmjow felt his heart jump when Ichigo mentioned his prayers for the past two years, and his lungs lacked air when Ichigo said that Renji forgave him. _So you heard me? _Grimmjow mentally asked out to Renji's soul. _I'm glad you did._ His next breath was clear and fresh. His stomach rested, his chest felt relief, and his mind cleared.

"He forgives me?" asked Grimmjow as his hands slipped from the steering wheel. He pulled the key from the ignition and put them in his pocket. His hands, then, rested on his thighs and felt only the touch of the expensive material.

"He does," reassured Ichigo.

The blue haired man smiled effortlessly. Hearing that from Ichigo felt great. He didn't feel the guilt gnawing at him anymore. His shoulders didn't feel heavy from the weight, nor did his chest want to cave in. His soul was at rest.

His fingers went to the rosary and unbuttoned the two buttons at his collar. He loosened his tie, too. Then, he pulled the rosary free, showing the red braided fabric and clear beads. The cross hung at the end in a shiny coat of silver. Grimmjow kissed the cross and thanked God for his forgiveness.

Ichigo put a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder. "Feel better?" he asked. "I was going to tell you when we got to the restaurant, but I couldn't stand to see you cringing in your seat the entire way." When Grimmjow looked at him with the ocean eyes, he felt a cool feeling breeze over his skin. The ocean waves were calm and beating gently against the shore of Grimmjow's glassy eyes. The shine was sparkling over the water, showing that the blue haired man was at peace.

The orange haired man felt like he was inhaling fresh sea air. Seeing Grimmjow at peace put him at peace, too.

Grimmjow looked to Ichigo after setting the rosary down on his chest. "Thank you," he said. "Your words have confirmed that Renji heard my prayers, and I'm glad that you've agreed to be here with me...despite our past." He was repeating himself, but he really meant what he said. He looked at the gentle hand that covered his, which was on his lap.

"Two years would be too long for a grudge, Grimmjow," said Ichigo with a comforting smile. "Like I said, I forgave you a long time ago. I also find you very adorable." The truth came out oddly for Ichigo, so he blushed a little and took his hand back. "Don't be so nervous, either. It's bad enough that I'm feeling odd, too."

The blue haired man looked up at Ichigo and chuckled with red tinting his cheeks. He stared in to Ichigo's eyes; there he saw the sparkle he wanted to see for him. "And you still have the eyes of an angel," said Grimmjow. His smile was stuck on his face as he unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car. He walked around and opened the passenger door.

He looked in when Ichigo didn't step out. His smile was still in place. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow with a shy smile. He hadn't heard a compliment from a man in two years, and Grimmjow's comment just made his heart flutter with a bit of pride. _He still believes that I have the eyes of an angel..._

"I'm fine," he replied; Ichigo stepped out of the car and stood at the side as Grimmjow closed the door. He did his best to appear casual; thus, he looked about. "Karakura's Finest," Ichigo read aloud. He was looking at a sign on top of shop, which had an old school design. There were swinging wood doors and wood framed windows. He saw the signs advertising pie and other sweets. Then, he caught sight of the picture of a Japanese boy eating an American burger. An orange brow raised at that.

He looked to Grimmjow and opened his mouth to ask, but Grimmjow beat him to the line.

"This place may be a bit generic on the outside, but there's a bunch of good stuff in there. There're actually retired Japanese Americans running the restaurant, and their love for the states came with them," explained Grimmjow. "Besides, I really like the pie here." He looked at Ichigo, who was still staring at him quizzically. "Apple," mentioned Grimmjow.

Ichigo just smiled and shook his head. "I'll be the judge of their apple pie," he said. He crossed his arms to appear like a professional food critic.

"Be ready to be amazed," challenged Grimmjow. He slipped his hands into his pockets and gestured for Ichigo to follow him inside. As he pulled out a hand to open the swinging door, Ichigo had replied to his words.

"I'm always ready," countered Ichigo. He gave Grimmjow a sly smile and walked inside the restaurant. He waited by a sign that commanded all customers to wait for seating.

_My angel_, Grimmjow thought with pride. He walked inside and waited with Ichigo.

A waitress came by and gestured for them to follow her. Her dress billowed about her as she walked in cowgirl boots toward a booth at the back of the restaurant.

Grimmjow's mind wasn't on the waitress or the restaurant. His attention was occupied by the orange haired man who was accompanying him. _The best part is that I can see him. As if I were looking at the true embodiment of both beauty and love. Chad was right; seeing it is truly a miracle._

**Author's Note:**

**I hope you all liked that chapter. :) I shall work to make the next one awesome! I made the dream part for both awesomeness and story transition. Do you all like? Si or no? Now, we all can get down to business. **

**I had to listen to a bunch music to finish this chapter up. Teehee. One more thing, I'm sorry for updating late. I would usually post weekly, but my college time is being taken by assignments. So the updates will be random in the future. **

**On a side note, I have an announcement. I am also working on Inugami x Ichigo FF fics. Though, they are one shots for now. I find the pair really fun to work with, and I have written two stories of the pair already. I'm not advertising my stories, for my main point is to reach out and ask for help. Help me create a new wave of awesome stories. Look on my profile under "Revolution" for more info. **

**Thanks, and I'll see y'all in the next chapter. **


	12. Beat of the Heart

**Early Author's Note: **

**The beginning might be a little boring, but the last half is more interesting. I promise!**

**Chapter Twelve: Beat of the Heart**

The lunch with Ichigo went great. Grimmjow had to throw in a few great arguments, but the arguments weren't too major. All he did was argue about the qualities of the apple pie before Ichigo received it, for Ichigo had theorized that the apple pie may have some extra qualities, which wouldn't qualify the pie in the apple category. In the end of the argument, Grimmjow won.

Ichigo admitted defeat when he tasted the familiar cinnamon and apple filling encased in a hot crust. He fought with himself over deciding which face to make: a pleased face or a scowl. Eventually, the pleased face won over, and Ichigo sat at his booth with a savored piece of apple pie sitting in his belly.

"Check," called Grimmjow to the waitress. He looked back at Ichigo when the waitress nodded and clicked away in her boots. His face cracked in to a smile at the pleased/ displeased face of Ichigo. "Told ya the pie was good," Grimmjow rubbed in. He reached into his pocket and retrieved his wallet.

"Don't get so cocky," countered Ichigo as he crossed his arms. He narrowed his eyes, then he contradicted his facial expression by pleasantly patting his abdomen.

Grimmjow chuckled and replied, "I'm not cocky. I just know I'm right." His pleased expression broadened when Ichigo stuck out his tongue in a playful manner. He watched Ichigo pull out a phone and check it before putting the contraption back in its original pocket. The blue haired man sat back in his seat and absentmindedly fiddled with the rosary around his neck, while he held his wallet in his other hand.

He watched Ichigo carefully. He paid attention to the smallest details; for instance, Grimmjow eyed the crinkle in Ichigo's shirt, listened to the other laugh, smelt the other's cologne, and noted the way Ichigo acted. The blue haired man wanted to remember the other as both a great person and a work of art, a painting he would mentally store forever.

"Here's the check," the waitress said as she clicked her way over to the pair of men.

Grimmjow looked up, awoken from his concentrated stupor, and opened his wallet as the check was set down for him. He looked at the charged amount and nodded his head when he read the satisfactory price total. He dumped a small sum of money on the table and got up from his seat. He tucked the wallet away and looked at Ichigo.

He smiled when the orange haired man looked to be off in space. _What is he thinking about?_ Grimmjow asked himself. He watched the other lean on his fist and stare at the blank table. The tanned skin contrasted with the bleach white table top, while the clothes showed prominently like paint on a white canvas. _Beautiful._

"Ya comin' or what?" asked Grimmjow as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He blinked, trying to stop himself from looking at Ichigo like an obsessed weirdo, but he would admit to himself that he was a weirdo for looking at Ichigo so intensely at all.

Ichigo looked up and apologized. He slid out of his booth and stretched his arms. A smile stretched on his face, trying to cover up the awkward space moment.

"What were you thinking about?" asked Grimmjow; he sidestepped to allow Ichigo some room into the aisle. He turned and initiated the retreat from the restaurant.

The orange haired man walked alongside Grimmjow as he spoke. "I wasn't really thinking about anything. I was just off in nowhere," replied Ichigo. "I don't normally space out, so sorry if I offended you."

_I was actually thinking about the date_, Ichigo mentally corrected himself. His thoughts weren't negative, so complaining or telling Grimmjow something mean was out of his thoughts.

He glanced at Grimmjow and couldn't help by be awed at the sudden glow of his, Grimmjow's, features.

_Wow. He looks...really good_, thought Ichigo. He blinked and concentrated on the path ahead of him.

The blue haired man narrowed his eyes and replied, "You didn't offend me. Just thought you were thinking about something." He walked faster and pulled the door open for Ichigo to pass through. After the other thanked him and passed through the door, Grimmjow's face lit up with a bright smile and twinkling eyes.

Ichigo turned his head to watch Grimmjow walk out of the restaurant with a cheesy smile. He chuckled and pointed out, "Someone's really happy."

Grimmjow blushed and quickly replied, "The sun's pretty." He turned his face and slapped himself on the forehead.

Ichigo chuckled a little louder and mended, "You don't have to make an excuse." He put a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder, making the other look at him with his, Grimmjow's, hand still attached to his forehead. He tilted his head when he looked at Grimmjow's hand. "You can put your hand down," he said.

Grimmjow shook his head and blushed lightly. "I think I hit myself too hard," he said. He didn't want to walk all the way to the car with a red handprint on his forehead. That would be too embarrassing.

With a shake of his head, Ichigo pulled the other's hand away and inspected the other's forehead.

Grimmjow's cheeks warmed in response to Ichigo's touch. He felt warmth radiating into his shoulder and wrist. Blue eyes were trained on the brown eyes, which were concentrated on his face. He looked down when he remembered that the other was inspecting his self inflicted damage.

"There's nothing there," Ichigo said. "You're fine." He gave Grimmjow a reassuring smile. His hand slid from the other's shoulder, and his other hand drifted away from Grimmjow's hand.

_Don't let go_, thought Grimmjow. He enjoyed the caring touch, so feeling the touch leave made him long for another like it.

_Overdoing it with slap to the face_, stated Ichigo. _He's acting so cute, and he doesn't realize it. _Again, Grimmjow was spilling those little crumbs that drew Ichigo to him more strongly.

Grimmjow stuffed his hands into his pockets and replied, "Uh sorry." He caught Ichigo shaking his head and mentally slapped himself for apologizing for nothing. He mentally chanted to himself to stop being a teenage idiot, and he hoped he wouldn't do anything else embarrassing. He cleared his throat and said for he and Ichigo to continue to the car. His eyes were cast down as he walked.

Ichigo frowned at Grimmjow's sudden self shame. He waited until they got into the car to say something.

"You don't have to be perfect," said Ichigo as Grimmjow sat down in the driver's seat. He watched Grimmjow look at him with a sudden shock.

_You're too much of an open book, Grimmjow_, thought Ichigo.

"Just be yourself," continued Ichigo. "I like the Grimmjow I met two years ago; he wasn't afraid to sing the Thunder buddy song with me in public." Seeing the other's expression change from shameful to confused, Ichigo knew he had to bring the other around. Seeing a gentleman Grimmjow was great, but he wanted the real man inside to come out. He smiled and sang, "If you hear the sound of thunder, don't you be too scared."

The blue haired man's eyes blinked and suddenly twinkled again. He held his head up with a brighter expression. He knew there was a friendly connection two years ago, and he figured Ichigo wanted that connection again. _I'm not perfect_, he admitted to himself, _so I guess I shouldn't be afraid to make silly mistakes. Okay, Ichigo. I'll sing for you._

"Just grab your thunder buddy," joined in Grimmjow with a more brave smile. "And sing these magic words," he sang in unison with Ichigo.

"Fuck you, thunder. You can suck my dick," both sang. "You're not really thunder 'cause you're just God's farts." The both made a fart sound and howled out in laughter.

Grimmjow hadn't laughed like he did in two years. A jovial feeling was bursting from within his stomach and making his abs bunch up in joy. He looked over at Ichigo, who was laughing just as hard. Happiness hit them both with the force of a train.

Ichigo covered his mouth and tried to quiet his loud laugh. Though, bits of howls and snorts made their way through his fingers. He looked at Grimmjow with teary eyes and tried not to laugh at the other, who was leaning on the steering wheel for support.

After a few seconds, both were hiccuping giggles and trying to relax. Grimmjow looked at Ichigo and did his best to keep his laughs from bursting forth again. Ichigo was staring back at him with the same goofy face.

"I'll take ya home," said Grimmjow starting up the car. His grin stuck to his face until he drove to the Kuchiki home. When he pressed on the break and turned off of the car, he looked at Ichigo. He did his best to keep a straight face, but he broke in to a grin and shook his head.

Ichigo tilted his head in awe. Without a second thought, Ichigo said, "Thanks." Grimmjow looked back at him with a more calm smile. The orange haired man chuckled when he saw the other blush. He reached over and gave Grimmjow a gentle hug. "Thanks for making me feel special today," he whispered as his lips ghosted Grimmjow's ear to his cheek.

The orange haired man opened the door on his side and looked back at Grimmjow, who was looking at the steering wheel with a red face. His blue eyes were wide, while his mouth was in the shape of a little o. Ichigo chuckled and stepped out of the car and turned around to bend over look inside of the car. "Grimmjow," he said.

Grimmjow didn't respond; he was still looking at the steering wheel.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo called a little louder. When the other looked at him, he saw the other's ocean eyes glint with bits of rosy sky. He smiled and said, "Are you okay?"

Grimmjow blinked and instantly reacted by smoothing his hair and crossing his arms. He cleared his throat and replied, "Of course, I'm okay." He felt his cheeks heat up more. When Ichigo shook his head with a smile, Grimmjow uncrossed his arms. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to space out like that."

"Right," chuckled Ichigo.

The blue haired man gave half a grin and rubbed the back of his head. His heart was beating rapidly, his chest was warm, and he couldn't breath for fear of turning redder. _Wait 'til Chad hears about this_, he thought.

Ichigo felt his own chest warm up at the other's attempt to look smooth. He just loved those little bread crumbs. If he had to be honest, Ichigo would admit he wanted to see Grimmjow again. He felt a connection he hadn't felt in two years, and he didn't want that little spark to go away. No; he would have that emotion flourish in to something beautiful. Even as he looked at Grimmjow's reddening face, he felt his heart molding to fit the spark Grimmjow gave him.

"Grimmjow," Ichigo breathed out. The other kept looking at him with the warm, writhing ocean eyes. _I want to see you again._ He smiled and said more clearly, "Are you busy tonight?"

Grimmjow's eyebrows raised. He cleared his throat and mentally cursed himself to put the stupid face away. He shook his head and added, "No. Why?"

Rosy lips raised and opened to say, "Do you wanna go out with Rukia and me tonight?"

The blue haired man's heart jumped. He clutched the seat belt at its buckle, for he felt the wind leave his lungs bare. He opened his lips and took in a deep breath of air. _Is this real? He's asking me out_? thought Grimmjow. He smiled brightly and replied, "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great." When Ichigo gave his half smile of approval, Grimmjow felt his heart reaching out.

He'd never describe his heart as having actions of its own, but Grimmjow really felt his heart reaching from within his chest out to Ichigo's. Grimmjow thought that maybe there was an invisible cord connecting him and Ichigo together. A cord that shared the swelling emotion Grimmjow felt or that connected their destinies. Whichever the possibility, Grimmjow encouraged his heart to reach out farther.

"Great," said Ichigo. "I'll see ya later, then. Keep your phone on ring; I'll text you the information." He gave one last smile and closed the car door. He turned away and made his way down the sidewalk to Rukia's door. He looked over his shoulder when he felt his heart pull backward. He saw Grimmjow looking at him with his hand on his chest.

_Does he feel it, too?_ thought Ichigo. He looked toward the door and continued toward it.

Grimmjow gripped his shirt with the rosary under his palm. He felt that cord attach to something; he was sure his heart clutched at Ichigo. _Did we connect?_ he thought. _Did he feel my heart gripping his own?_ He swore he saw a line reaching from his chest toward the window of the car out toward Ichigo. _Am I hallucinating?_ He looked from his chest to the window to Ichigo, but the line was gone. Blue eyes trailed to his hand, where he felt the rosary imprinting its cross on his hand. His fingers loosened and fell from the cloth and rosary.

As the fabric of his shirt tickled his chest as it settled, he brought his hand up to his face and looked at the palm. On his hand was the cross, imprinted in his skin, as if to show the confirmation of God witnessing him feel love.

Blue eyes looked back toward the Kuchiki home, where Ichigo stood with the door ajar. Brown eyes were diving into his blues, despite the distance. Grimmjow gulped and looked toward the steering wheel. He reached for the key and turned on the car.

Ichigo put a hand to his heart as Grimmjow drove away. _You did feel it_, he thought. He turned and entered the home. He shut the doors and leaned against them as his head dropped. _Grimmjow did feel the connection... _Ichigo looked up and was surprised to see Rukia standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Rukia," started Ichigo.

Rukia smiled and squealed, "I want details!" She grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward her room. She threw open the white doors and dragged Ichigo on to the fluffy pink carpeting. She sat Ichigo on the side of the bed, then she placed herself at the end. She laid on her stomach as her legs paddled back and forth. "Well," she said.

The orange haired man just gave half of a smile and told Rukia of the date. He didn't skip any details, nor did he skip the last part about his heart tugging toward Grimmjow. When he finished, he fell on his back and relaxed on the pink blankets. He stared up at the star covered ceiling and said, "I don't want to let him go...ever." He turned his head toward Rukia.

The small woman was grinning and holding her mouth shut. Then, she released her lips and announced, "You have to be hot for tonight!" She got on to her knees and added, "You're going to wear more eyeliner, more gloss, and I'm going to do your hair!" She jumped off of the bed and announced again, "You're going to look hot!"

Ichigo shook his head and said, "You have to look hot, too, Rukia. We are celebrating your birthday." He put his hands behind his head and looked back up at the ceiling.

_I wonder if he's thinking of me_, thought Ichigo with a dreamy face.

"I know that!" replied Rukia. She did know. She was just happy for Ichigo. Two years of having to go to a shrink and feeling lonely didn't bode well for Ichigo, so Rukia was glad the wake up call for moving on was Grimmjow. "I have a sense of fashion," she conceded with a cocky smile.

"I just need to make you look sexy," Rukia continued. "We both know that you're looking forward to seeing Grimmjow tonight, so you must look good for him, which means a change of outfit and everything I stated earlier." She pointed at Ichigo and asked, "Does he know where we're going?"

"Do we even know where we're going?" asked Ichigo lifting his head up to see Rukia.

Rukia smirked and replied, "The Pink Dove."

As Ichigo was explaining his day to Rukia, Grimmjow had driven as fast as possible to Chad's bar at the hotel. When he got there, he parked, entered the building, and ran into the bar. He didn't stop until he had a seat in front of the bartop. He leaned still had his toes on the ground, so he used the leverage to lean over the bartop and look for Chad.

A great grin made itself presentable when Grimmjow spotted Chad. "Chad!" he called. When his friend looked over, Grimmjow gestured for the large man to come his way.

Chad nodded and set down a drink he finished making. He made his way over as he wiped his hands on a towel. "Grimmjow," he said. "What are you doing here?" His deep voice rumbled mightily.

"Guess who's gone on a date and has been asked out tonight?" asked Grimmjow as clenched his fists in excitement.

"The Easter bunny," replied Chad as he crossed his arms. A small smile was present on his lips.

Grimmjow answered, "Ha ha, Chad. You're hilarious. No, I got a date." He leaned in and added, "Ichigo's back."

Chad raised a brow and asked, "Really? I never thought he would come back. How is he? I haven't talked to Shiro in a while, so fill me in." He leaned on the bartop with the towel still hanging in his hand.

"He's doing fine," replied Grimmjow. "He was shaky when I saw him at first, but after our date, he seemed so full of happiness." He smiled and continued, "I made him feel special."

"You didn't," stated Chad, "did you?" He raised a brow at the other. He hoped the other didn't do something regretful.

Grimmjow raised his hands in defense and replied, "I didn't touch him, I swear. He gave me a hug today and told me I made him feel special." When Chad just frowned, Grimmjow went in to great detail by telling his day to Chad, making Chad smile a little.

"You are one hell of a man," commented Chad.

Grimmjow said, "I think I understood what seeing 'love' is." When the other gave a quizzical look, Grimmjow elaborated, "I remembered you telling me about the miracle of seeing love. I felt and saw the proof twice." Grimmjow, again, explained what he meant, making Chad nod his head in approval of the thoughts.

The brown haired man was proud of Grimmjow. The other had learned to be patient and caring. One little detail stuck out to him, though. He tracked back to Grimmjow's mentioning of Renji in Ichigo's dream. Something like a dream with a clear message truly seemed like a miracle. Chad said, "How does it feel to know that Renji has forgiven you?"

"I feel free," replied Grimmjow. He took in a clear heap of air and sighed in content. "I'm glad you advised me to pray. God and Renji heard my message."

Chad smiled and said, "I'm proud of you, Grimmjow."

"Thanks, Chad," said Grimmjow. "Soooo..."

"What?" asked Chad getting off of the bartop to serve a calling customer at the other end.

"You feel like going out tonight?" asked Grimmjow.

Chad furrowed his brow and asked, "What for?" He was sure Grimmjow could handle the date on his own.

"Well, Ichigo is going out with both me and Rukia. One girl is like having a third wheel, so I was wondering if you could be there-"

"I'm not the fourth wheel," cut in Chad with a matter of fact tone. He crossed his large arms and looked down at Grimmjow. _What is he thinking?_

"No," said Grimmjow crossing his arms. "I know you don't drink, and you know that I drink...a lot. I need ya there to watch me and keep Rukia company, so nothing gets awkward." He enlarged his blue eyes, trying to pout.

Chad chuckled and replied, "Put that face away and I'll go."

Grimmjow frowned. "Did you really have to attack the face?" He stuffed his hands into his pockets. When he saw the other open his mouth to reply, he heard a man from the other end yell out for Chad.

"I SAID I WAN' ANOTH'R ONE!" yelled a drunk black haired man.

"Why is that guy drunk this early?" asked Grimmjow looking at the annoying drunk.

Chad sighed and replied, "I don't know. He's been like that for the past week. He comes in, drinks, and leaves extremely pissed." He sighed again and said, "I'll be back."

The blue haired man watched Chad walk to the drunk man and tell the man that he's had enough to drink.

"FUCK YOU!" came the drunken clamor.

Blue eyes opened wide in horror as the drunk man flung a large glass at Chad, who tried to dodge but was caught on the left shoulder. Chad stumbled back and held onto his left shoulder with pain evident on his face. Chad was leaning against the back wall with his teeth clenched.

_The wounded shoulder. That asshole hit Chad on his wounded shoulder!_ Grimmjow raged in his mind. He clenched his fists as the drunk dared to yell more and throw a glass toward Chad's head, which was luckily out of harm's way.

"Fuckin' asshole," growled Grimmjow. He got up from his seat and marched over toward the drunk with clenched teeth and narrowed eyes. He grabbed the drunk by the collar and yanked him onto his feet. He kicked the drunk in the shins, making the other fall to his knees. With a swift swing, he landed a punch on the other man's temple. When the other hung limply, Grimmjow raised his fist for another punch, but his fist was caught. He looked back and saw Chad holding his fist.

"He's done," said Chad in a shaky and pained voice. "Leave him be; I've called security already. This man won't see this place in a long time." He released Grimmjow's fist, trusting the blue haired man to settle down.

Grimmjow's anger shrunk. _Only you could make my anger go away like that_, thought Grimmjow. _That's one of the reasons why you're such a great friend. _The blue haired man nodded and released the drunk. After hearing the drunk fall to the floor in a whimpered shuffle, Grimmjow walked away and sat back in his seat. He waited for Chad until security came and took the drunk away. He got to his feet and walked back over to Chad.

"Your shoulder okay?" he asked.

Chad looked at Grimmjow. "My shoulder," said Chad touching the fragile arm, "is fine. I may be a wounded veteran, but I'm not so fragile as to break from the impact of glass." He smiled and dropped his hand.

Grimmjow smiled back and asked, "What would Shiro have done if he were here?"

Chad smiled brighter at the mention of Shiro's name. "That drunk would've had a knife lodged in his throat by now," he answered with a slight chuckle. He slid his hands into his pockets and sighed in content. The memory of Shiro was always amusing.

Just as Grimmjow was going to make another comment, he heard his phone ring. He pulled out the device from his pocket and looked at the lit up screen. Ichigo's ID was attached to a message. He hastily opened the message and read the contents. He grinned and asked Chad as he still looked at the screen, "You up for a good time at the Pink Dove?"

After Grimmjow left the bar with Chad at closing time, Ichigo and Rukia were fussing near the vanity mirror.

"That's too much lip gloss," complained Ichigo. He pulled his face from Rukia's grasp. He looked back at Rukia defiantly, but he stopped his glare when the other gave her own glare.

Rukia had already gotten dressed. She was wrapped in a green dress with green gladiator heels. Her dress reached three inches above her knees, and her heels made her two inches taller. Her hair was elongated with extensions, for she went to the salon, bought the extensions, and applied them herself. Her long hair stopped at the half of her back, and her makeup was light green eyeshadow, blush, glitter, and pink gloss. With a glare on her face, Rukia was hot and terrifying.

"Face, here, now," commanded Rukia as he pointed at the indicated spot. She put her hands on her hips as Ichigo slowly put his face back in to position. She nodded her head in approval and put the gloss away. She grabbed the mascara and reached for Ichigo.

"You didn't say anything about mascara," Ichigo pointed out.

"Too late," shrugged Rukia. She took hold of Ichigo's chin and applied the mascara. She carefully combed the strands, making the angel wings span out with their feathers shining in their own glowing glory. After applying the mascara, the last of the makeup, Rukia said, "The best part of this eyeliner and mascara is that it won't streak down your face in the rain."

Ichigo turned toward the mirror and gasped. He wasn't normally the one to concede in anything like his looks, but Ichigo would concede, this time, that he was absolutely stunning. He touched the edge of his cheek, careful not to smudge the little dusts of blush on his cheeks. His fingers went from his face to his hair, where he barely touched the tips of the glittering spikes.

"Rukia, you are the master," said Ichigo standing and giving his best friend a hug.

"I know," said Rukia looking at her nails after the hug. She looked at Ichigo and nodded her final approval. Ichigo was wearing a white shirt with a black leather coat, which was zipped down until the zipper rested on top of his belly button. His pants were blue with dark shadows shading the shins and thighs. A black belt hung loosely on his hips, and black dress shoes adorned his feet. He wore a tight skull necklace with a matching watch and silver studs on his ears.

"Perfect," announced Rukia. She grabbed Ichigo's wrist and said, "Off to the Pink Dove!" She dragged Ichigo to her car and rushed him to get in. When they were inside, Rukia threw on her seatbelt and turned on the car. She looked at Ichigo and squealed.

"I think you're more excited than I am about tonight," said Ichigo with a smile. He casually put on his seatbelt and waited for the ride to begin.

"You bet your sexy ass I am," answered Rukia. She stepped on the gas and drove off. Very few red lights caught the small woman, for she drove fast and smart. She went around slow drivers and sped past yellow lights.

By the time the two were at the Pink Dove, Ichigo was holding on to the door and the seat. He looked at Rukia with wide eyes. "Rukia," he said with slight hesitation.

Rukia looked up and smiled as she turned off the car and took of her belt. "Let's rock this club," she said. She grabbed her clutch and jumped out of the car.

Ichigo sighed and climbed out after Rukia. He quickly locked the doors and caught up with his friend. "Please, don't drive like that ever again," pleaded Ichigo. He followed Rukia, who passed up the entire line of waiting people. When they got to the front of the line, Ichigo and Rukia were stopped by a large security guard. Ichigo looked up at the man, who had a name tag that read "Yammy."

Yammy was huge, both in bulk and height. The man's odd hair style clashed in a tacky manner with his black suit.

Ichigo gulped.

The small woman wasn't deterred when Yammy asked for them to go to the back of the line, which pleased a lot of the people who were in the line. Rukia reached into her clutch and pulled out her ID. She waved it in front of Yammy's face.

The large man took the ID and read the contents. His face lightened and he gestured for Rukia and Ichigo to enter. He gave Rukia her ID and leered at Ichigo, who pretended he didn't see the large, scary, poorly dressed man look at him in a perverted manner.

When the two got into the club, Ichigo was amazed. The club wasn't anywhere near pink, but the giant glass dove at the back of the DJ booth was lit up with pink lights. The floor was wiped with assorted colors and lights. The walls were glittering planets in space, and the ceiling was basked in the glow of moving stars, coming from the moving lights connected to the walls.

Rukia giggled and yelled to Ichigo, due to the loud music, "Come on! Let's dance!" She dragged Ichigo to the dance floor and started to dance.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and started to dance, too. He could hear Rukia's cheers and giggles, but he tuned everything out to listen to the music. He fell in love with the song playing, so he started to sway his body to the music in an entranced state. He was so lost, he didn't notice the body that started dancing extremely close to him. The contact was a bit annoying, but the contact didn't feel strange. He looked over his shoulder and saw the ocean splashing in on him.

"Grimmjow," he called in an inaudible whisper.

Grimmjow just smiled. He didn't need a light or a megaphone to see or hear what Ichigo said. His heart told him. "Ichigo," his whispered back. He looked Ichigo up and down earlier, so being close to Ichigo was like dancing in heaven with an angel.

The orange haired man drank in Grimmjow's attire when he turned around and danced in rhythm with Grimmjow. The blue haired man was wearing a black dress shirt with blue pants. His shirt was open to reveal toned pecs and a golden chain. Ichigo smiled and got closer to Grimmjow.

Their bodies molded together and danced in rhythm with the song. The world seemed to go mute and unnoticeable as angel eyes stared into the depths of the ocean waters. Only they existed, only their bodies spoke, and only their hearts connected. The pulse of life flowed through their veins and energized their bodies to keep moving. Even as the song changed, their bodies stayed close.

Ichigo and Grimmjow felt their hearts connecting toward one another more strongly. The line tightened in to thick cords, wrapping around the two's hearts in death holds and making the hearts beat in sync. The grip was tight to the point that Ichigo and Grimmjow were chest to chest and staring into each other's eyes.

Their faces were close enough for one to lean in and kiss the other lightly on the lips, and their hands were clasped together. So that they may be as one on the dancefloor.

**Author's Note:**

**Well, I hope this makes up for me being M.I.A for like two to three weeks. I did work on this over time, and I found the inspiration to finish writing this up. **

**I guess a lot of you aren't into religious affiliation with FF stories, so I'm cutting down on that. Sorry. I'm glad one of you liked the last chapter, though. **

**So go ahead and review or do something you normally do after reading a fic. To those who usually like to comment, what did you think? **


	13. Meet Me Halfway

**Chapter Thirteen: Meet Me Halfway**

Chad and Rukia sat side by side as they watched Ichigo and Grimmjow dance in rhythm. Chad felt proud of Grimmjow. He saw his friend becoming the helpless romantic he was meant to be. Thinking back on the old Grimmjow, the old Grimmjow would not have let Ichigo go home a virgin by the stroke of midnight, but the blue haired man wasn't in that zone. He was glad.

Rukia, on the other hand, thought that Ichigo had finally decided to really move on. The memories of keeping Ichigo and Renji in a sane relationship came upon her. She was their sister, and they were her best friends. Seeing Ichigo with Grimmjow was completely new, so she would have to get used to him the way she got used to Renji: a hard fist and a tough leg.

"You think they'll be okay?" asked Chad to Rukia. Both were seated in a booth, watching their friends from afar.

"Yeah," replied Rukia. "Ichigo's a big boy. He knows when to put his foot down and when to move on to the next step." She looked at Chad and continued, "Instinct will take over. Soon, they'll realize that they are a lot more compatible than either of them might think." She looked back to the dance floor and hummed happily.

Chad nodded and continued to keep an eye on his friend, watching how he moved fluently to Ichigo's body.

Ichigo felt his breath leaving him. He was focused on Grimmjow, who was just as focused on him. He had to restrain himself from letting his lips kiss the blue haired man, especially when Grimmjow's forehead was leaning on his and releasing strong desires telepathically.

_What do I feel? I feel us. Just one..._ Ichigo thought as his eyes started to lid and his face grazed Grimmjow's. His mouth was so close to Grimmjow's lips.

Grimmjow felt the need to kiss the other, too. He wanted to taste the sweet sensation that was Ichigo. When he felt Ichigo moving along his skin, he wanted to meet the other halfway and lay a heavy, passionate kiss on the other's lips.

_Just one kiss_, thought Grimmjow. He motioned to meet the other's lips, but the moment was cut off when the DJ changed the song to a slow dance.

The deafening pound of R&B or Pop wasn't there to veil Grimmjow's and Ichigo's momentary intimacy. The connection was a little looser now.

"Thanks, DJ," Grimmjow mumbled under his breath. He withdrew his head and looked at Ichigo, who looked to be high. _Cute_. He smiled and jerked his head toward the bar, where Chad and Rukia wouldn't be in view of them. Grimmjow wanted Ichigo all to himself, and he would have it that way. "You want a drink?" he asked.

Ichigo blinked and gave a small smile. "Yeah," he replied, "I'd like that." He grabbed Grimmjow's hand, making the other look down and blush. Ichigo just shook his head and decided to lead the way toward the bar. He walked up the steps and toward the black bar tops, which were lined with lights and abandoned glasses.

He looked around the bar and saw other people waiting for their drinks or waiting to be served. Either way, Ichigo felt that he would have to wait a little while for a drink. He looked to Grimmjow, who was already eyeing the lazy bartender nearest them.

"Bartender," called Grimmjow. He let go of Ichigo's hand to lean casually on the bar top. When the bartender ignored him, Grimmjow growled and yelled louder, "Bartender!"

The bartender, a short haired man with a perverted tattoo on his face, lazily looked over toward Grimmjow and pfted. His eyes were drooping with sleep, and his hair was a bad case of bedhead.

Grimmjow's lip twitched. _This asshole isn't making me look like some common bitch in front of Ichigo! _thought Grimmjow.

"Bartender!" Grimmjow yelled once more. He snarled when the bartender strolled toward him in a lazy manner.

"What?" the bartender growled in distaste. His 1920's vest swayed loosely on his shoulders as he moved about and leaned on the bar top toward Grimmjow.

Grimmjow grabbed the edge of the bar top and asked for a couple of drinks. When the bartender didn't move, Grimmjow rolled his eyes and asked again. Again, the bartender didn't move or reply. Anger. It bubbled in his gut. Grimmjow didn't like the little punk degrading him in front of his man. Degradation was the wrong button to push on Grimmjow's look.

Ichigo felt waves of danger coming off of the blue haired man, so he quickly put a gentle hand on Grimmjow's shoulder. When the other looked at him, Ichigo gave a soft smile and suggested, "We can wait for another bartender. This guy doesn't seem to be coherent enough anyway."

"Got somethin' to say, princess?" came the bartender's snappy voice.

Ichigo frowned and looked at the bartender. _Oh hell no! You did not just call me princess! On top of that, you're being an ignorant asshole! This is supposed to be a fun time for Grimmjow and me. You are not going to get away with starting off our night by being a dick! You want t' go? Then let's rock!_ Ichigo mentally snarled.

With a cock of his hip and a fold of his arms, the orange haired man replied, "As a matter of fact, I do have something to say."

"Well, go on! Say it," growled the bartender. "What does the princess got to say?!" The bartender unfolded his arms and settled them on the bar top.

Grimmjow was growling and going red in the face. His temper was at the very edge of bursting and giving the bartender a third degree burn. He looked to Ichigo, who was pursing his lips and trying to control a twitch in his right eye. _Ichigo? Oh shit!_ Grimmjow thought. He prepared himself to witness a good bitching.

"Alright, asshole!" replied Ichigo as he put his hands on his hips. "First off, don't go callin' me princess! You'll have a mouthful of teeth to fix. Two, your fugly ass looks like you rolled out of bed. Three, if you aren't going to do your job, then be kind enough to show yourself out the door! Four, take your ass a shower and brush your teeth; I can smell your nasty ass all the way over here! Five, don't go ignoring my man like you all that! Compared to him, you ain't shit. You're just an ignorant asshole!"

The bartender was awestruck. He couldn't move from his spot on the bar top.

The words "my man" echoed in Grimmjow's head. He did drool a little at the awesome display of Ichigo giving a bartender a piece of his mind, but he had to stop and appreciate the words that were coming out as praise for him.

Grimmjow smiled and decided to add to the tension. He grabbed the bartender by the scruff of his collar and growled, "You heard him. Get lost or do your job." He thrust the bartender backwards, making him fall to the ground. He pfted.

Another bartender came by and waved the initial bartender away with a yell: "Next time, don't drink before your shift! Dumbass!" The bartender turned and smiled with his hands clasped in front of him. "I apologize for Shuhei's behavior. He's normally a gentleman. Now, how may I help you?"

The blue haired man smiled and ordered two drinks. Then, he turned to Ichigo and leaned on his elbow. "Your man?" asked Grimmjow with an amused smirk.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, then he blushed. "I-" he started. "Well, you see..." He bit his lip and rubbed the back of his head. He couldn't deny the feeling that made his heart burst with warmth. The chains that connect his heart to Grimmjow's was too strong, making him feel fully bonded.

Grimmjow raised a hand. "That's okay, Ichigo," he said and chuckled lightly. He stood up fully and embraced Ichigo. He didn't care if words could describe the moment of possession; he felt the answer pulse off of Ichigo's blush and sudden shy expression. His hands rested on Ichigo's back, and his head rested on Ichigo's shoulder. Chest to chest; heart to heart.

Beat, beat, beat... Each pulsed with vowels, adjectives, emotion, warmth, beauty, and, what Grimmjow's own heart hoped to be, love.

His hands slid past one another, making Grimmjow embrace Ichigo fully around the waist. He rested his chin on Ichigo's shoulder. The moment was made. He didn't rely on the music this time; he relied on his feelings and instincts. He and Ichigo controlled the chains, so he pulled the other closer. He wanted to stay there, locked in their embrace like two puzzle pieces.

He didn't know how many times he would be able to embrace Ichigo freely as so, but he wouldn't skip the chance, especially when Ichigo might leave the next day or the following day or the next week. His heart tightened. "Don't leave me," Grimmjow found himself whispering. He felt hands, followed by strong arms, wrap around his shoulders and tighten their lock.

"I don't plan to," came the soft reply. Ichigo led his right hand to the back of Grimmjow's neck, holding the other in place to reassure his stationary intent.

_Am I in love?_ Ichigo suddenly thought.

"Here are your drinks, gentlemen!" came the bartender's voice.

Grimmjow and Ichigo felt the momentary spell break...again. This was a problem for them. Blue looked into brown, sending a telepathic message that could be understood but not read.

_I need more time with him...with no one else around_, thought Grimmjow. He almost jumped in surprise when he thought of Owl Pool. Owl Pool was the one place he would always visit during long breaks, just to get a whiff of natural earth. He had never thought of it, but now that he did, it was perfect.

Hands retreated to reach for money as Grimmjow turned. After pulling out a few bills, he put them on the bar top and slid it to the bartender. "Sorry, bartender," said Grimmjow. He looked to Ichigo and finished, "I have to take someone special somewhere. I need to be able to drive." He left the money and the confused bartender at the bar as he took Ichigo's hand and walked out of the Pink Dove and to his car.

"Grimmjow?" came Ichigo's questioning voice.

The blue haired man looked at the other. The other's glittery eyes sparkled more with the lights glaring. He smiled reassuringly and answered, "We're going somewhere...somewhere that doesn't involve physical music and generic lights. I'll show you something that surpasses the Pink Dove at the peak of its glory." He opened the passenger door and waited for Ichigo.

After Ichigo gave a small smile and entered the vehicle, Grimmjow closed the door and went to his side, where he got into the driver's seat. He started the car and pulled out of the Pink Dove's parking lot. He drove past the hotel, past the company building, and past the sign that greeted outsiders.

Ichigo sat in the passenger seat, wondering where Grimmjow was going. He kept his gaze out toward the scenery. He noticed housing became more scarce every passing minute. Forestry became more prominent, and darkness enveloped the world. He looked toward Grimmjow, who was driving with a smile and a large excited aura.

Finally, Grimmjow announced, "We're here." He made a left on a dirt road, where a sign warned trespassers of wolves and deer. He smiled as he found the clearing to a circle of clear dirt, where campers would stay during summers. He parked the car and turned the vehicle off. He got out of the car and went to the other side, where he let Ichigo out.

Dots enveloped the windows and made the car sparkle; Ichigo noticed when he was in the car. When he got out, he discovered that the dark wasn't so dark after all. He looked from the glittering car to Grimmjow. "Why are we out here?" he asked.

Grimmjow smiled and said, "Follow me." He grabbed Ichigo's hand and led the other into the darkness of the forestry.

The orange haired man didn't know where they were going now, but he wasn't keen on traveling in the dark. He gripped Grimmjow's hand and blindly followed the other, whom he thought was gifted with great sight. He could only feel rocks under his shoes and hear the cracks of twigs, and he could only smell wild trees and plants. Nature was at its peak this year. "Where are we going?" he asked to the dark.

By the time Ichigo asked his question, Grimmjow had pushed branches out of the way to let Ichigo through. He heard the other gasp.

Ichigo stepped out of the leafy portal and gaped at the sight before him. He almost teared at the sight of the secret eutopia hidden from society. He looked from the glittering clear water to the bright moon that shown high above. He walked to the edge of the water and looked at the moon's wavy reflection. He could almost see his own reflection clearly. "Grimmjow," he said with glee as he turned.

Grimmjow felt his smile burst forth in full force as he watch Ichigo gush over the beauty he had only ever kept to himself. Sharing this moment with Ichigo was the most precious part of their time together thus far. He never brought his first fiance there, he never brought his second lover there, and he never thought he would bring anyone there. He was wrong.

Everything felt right. Ichigo, the scenery, and the flowing emotion of love. Grimmjow would deny it, nor would he shy away from it. He would name the swelling emotion love. He walked up to Ichigo and said, "Welcome to Owl Pool."

"Owl Pool?" asked Ichigo looking up at the dotted sky. The stars were amazing. Grimmjow was right. There was nothing at the Pink Dove that could ever compare to the sight. A small pond with lily pads smiled up at Ichigo with its white halo and green locks. He turned to Grimmjow again.

The angel eyes were brimming with glee and beauty. The stars highlight Ichigo's complexion, making him glow. Grimmjow put a hand on Ichigo's cheek and felt his fingertips tingle with excitement and curiosity. His thumb traced over the cheek as his eyes trailed to Ichigo's lips.

Ichigo smiled and said, "This place is amazing, Grimmjow. I'm glad you brought me here." He put a hand on Grimmjow's, holding the other in place as if letting the other's hand fall away would separate them for eternity.

"You're the first one I've ever brought here," Grimmjow stated proudly.

Ichigo looked deeply into the ocean. The waves were glittering with sparkling foam that washed up to the edge in peaceful strands of white. His heart started to pick up its pace as he continued to gaze over the sea's foaming grace. The chains; he could feel them pulling. The warmth surrounded his chest and tugged even more. On instinct, Ichigo embraced Grimmjow, joining their chests again.

He rested his head on the other's shoulder and waited for his heart to cool with satisfaction. Ichigo felt his heart warm up more, though. He could feel his heart being pulled more, despite the close physical contact that was already made. His heart jumped when Grimmjow's arms surrounded him.

Grimmjow's heart pulled. When Ichigo embraced him, he felt the world become in sync with his emotions and wishes. He buried his nose in the wild fluff of Ichigo's hair and inhaled the scent that was completely Ichigo. His heart ached for more, but he wasn't sure what to do. All he could do was hold the other to satisfy his emotional burn.

As they stood there, their hearts beat as one again. Their emotions flooded into each other, creating tsunamis that overwhelmed their hearts heavily. They listened to the sounds of singing crickets and bathed in the moonlight. They absorbed the tension free atmosphere and inhaled only each other's natural scent.

Ichigo tensed when he heard the song of distant wolves. He peeked around and held on tighter to Grimmjow, who held back just as tight to assure protection. Ichigo hid in Grimmjow's chest when he spotted a wolf near them. He whispered to Grimmjow of the wolf's presence. He watched Grimmjow look at the wolf with understanding eyes. After the stare down, the wolf threw its head up and howled a happy song. Its voice echoed in Ichigo's mind and translated into a song that no one would ever be able to understand. It sent shivers down his spine, making his body shake in Grimmjow's hold. Ichigo looked to the wolf from the safety of Grimmjow's chest and watched as the wolf blinked and turned to disappear from sight behind the dark curtains of nature.

He looked up at Grimmjow, who was still staring in the wolf's direction. "Must've been scoutin'," he said with a smile that reassured his point. He looked to Ichigo, who seemed amazed.

"How did you do that?" asked Ichigo.

Grimmjow smiled and replied, "I didn't do anything." He chuckled when Ichigo tilted his head. He tightened his hold around Ichigo again and gazed into Ichigo's eyes. "Wolves aren't what they seem to humans," he said. "We have no reason to be afraid, unless we initiated a threat."

Ichigo smiled and joked, "Are you a wolf expert now?" When the other shook his head, Ichigo could only smile and massage the back of Grimmjow's neck, where he felt the soft hairs drape over his knuckles and tickle his palms. His eyes fell to Grimmjow's lips. He tilted his head with a barely visible smile.

He observed the light skin that was lit by the moon's shine. There was no lip gloss, no liner, no makeup. Grimmjow was natural. The only other who was natural was Renji; the thought brought old tears to his eyes. One slipped.

Grimmjow propped Ichigo's chin up and saw the tear slide down other's face. He wiped the tear away with his thumb and brought the thumb to rest on Ichigo's chin again. He didn't ask what was wrong, for he didn't want to bring back more sad feelings.

Ichigo smiled and blinked back the tears that wanted to escape. He gulped and continued to stay under Grimmjow's gaze.

"You have the eyes of an angel," said Grimmjow. "Has anyone ever told you that?" When Ichigo nodded, Grimmjow gave half of smile. He was the one that told him he had angel eyes.

He didn't hold back as he came down and lightly pressed his lips on Ichigo's. Love crept into his lips and bravery crept into his hands. He put a hand on the back of Ichigo's head and cradled the other in the kiss. He partially noticed that the other had met him halfway.

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry! Again, I know. I've been told that college wouldn't be a walk in the park, but I never thought I would have little to no time to update this story. Plus, I might have let some grammatical mistakes slip by...sorry again. :(**

**To make up for my absence, I've challenged myself to update "Angel Eyes" again during Thanksgiving break and to update "Warrior's Fate," despite my initial plans.**

**I might post a nice one shot. Who likes the circus?**

**Random Recommendation: **

**If you like to get a good laugh every once in a while like I do, then I suggest you take a look at "The 16 Squads" by LordsoftheRoses. **


	14. Crossing Boundaries

**Chapter Fourteen: Crossing Boundaries**

After initiating the kiss, Grimmjow held Ichigo tighter and tighter, making sure the other wouldn't escape the flood of emotion he was pouring into him. His pressed at Ichigo's back, then they descended and stopped at Ichigo's waist. He didn't want to let go.

Ichigo's flavor was priceless. Grimmjow breathed in the other's minty breath and relished the sting of peppermint on Ichigo's tongue. His mind was being clouded, his senses, other than his taste and touch, becoming dull from the intoxication. The other's lips were smooth and glided along his own in perfect harmony. Lip gloss smeared over his own lips, making his lips smack louder.

Ichigo felt the same way. He couldn't stop his fingers from gripping Grimmjow's shirt in pure excitement, and he couldn't stop himself from feeling the overwhelming waves of amorous emotion flooding through him. His nose was filled with Grimmjow's cologne, and his tongue was being pampered with cinnamon flavor.

The blue haired man broke the kiss to trail kisses down Ichigo's jaw and suck on his neck, spreading the gloss. His hands made their way down and cuffed Ichigo's rear. He gripped the other's hips and grinded the other against himself. Without thinking, Grimmjow picked Ichigo up by the thighs and wrapped the other's legs around his waist as he continued to kiss and suck at Ichigo's neck.

The orange haired man was shaken from his daze when he felt himself get lifted off of the ground. He realized he was clutching at Grimmjow's hair and shirt and keeping himself level with his wrapped legs. "Grimmjow," he muttered. His eyes widened when he felt his shirt get lifted from his hips and his skin got felt by a rough hand, which was traveling higher and higher. The other hand was holding him by the rear, where fingers gripped at him roughly.

"Grimmjow," he muttered again. He almost lost his breath when Grimmjow thrusted upward; Ichigo felt what he shouldn't have felt until after marriage. Grimmjow was hard, and his hardness wasn't pleasing Ichigo one bit.

_Not now. I can't_, Ichigo mentally complained. He almost moaned when another thrust was given to him. _Not until I'm married!_ Another thrust. He felt the other near his rear, a bad area for wrong timing. _I can't!_ he finally yelled in his mind. Ichigo pushed at Grimmjow and dislodged himself from the blue haired man.

Ichigo took a few steps back and pulled his shirt down and closed the flaps of his jacket over himself. His hands clutched at the leathery fabric as he looked at Grimmjow in horror. He sucked in his lips and looked from Grimmjow to the ground.

Grimmjow was flushed with pink cheeks and dazed eyes. He shook his head and asked, "Ichigo, what's wrong?" He took a step closer, but Ichigo held out his hand for him to stop.

"I can't do this," answered Ichigo.

"What do you mean?" asked Grimmjow combing his hair back with his fingers and straightening his pants. His heart pounded.

_He's not doing what I think he's doing...right?_ Grimmjow asked himself. The thought of Ichigo backing out wouldn't do good for him. He felt he would go insane if Ichigo ended their relationship.

"I can't do anything sexual," explained Ichigo. "I don't want to do anything like this until I'm married." He brought his hands to his jacket and dug his nails into the fabric. He looked into Grimmjow's eyes for understanding.

Grimmjow's heart rested, knowing that Ichigo only had a problem with what he did. The blue haired man nodded his head and sighed. He hissed slightly when he moved; his erection was still concealed in his paints and poking at his pants painfully. He put up his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo," Grimmjow apologized. "I didn't know you were saving yourself. I promise I won't touch you like that again." He wiped away the gloss that was left over on his lips.

Ichigo gave a small smile and replied, "Thank you, Grimmjow." He released his coat and walked up to Grimmjow. He gave the other a hug and buried his face in the other's chest. "Thanks for understanding."

Grimmjow nodded and pried himself from Ichigo whilst grinding his teeth. "Sorry, I just have a slight painful problem," he said.

"Sorry," Ichigo quickly said and blushed. He looked down and could see the obvious tent.

"Go ahead and head back to the car if you want," suggested Grimmjow. "I gotta take care of this." He turned and started for the forestry.

The orange haired man felt a little bad for Grimmjow, but Grimmjow did tell him he could go to the car. After all, he couldn't touch Grimmjow, even if he wanted to. He promised himself he would wait, too. With a sigh, Ichigo walked to the car and waited for Grimmjow by sitting on the hood and laying back.

Grimmjow followed Ichigo to the car, where he watched Ichigo lay back on his hood. From his position, Grimmjow could see Ichigo's slim belly. He carefully unzipped his pants and undid the button. He reached in and pulled out his erection from the confines of his boxers. When he was free, he clenched his teeth, for the cool air stung him. He kept his eyes on Ichigo, who stretched, showing more of his smooth skin and muscular tone.

With a firm grasp, Grimmjow teased himself and soaked himself with his own fluids. He imagined licking Ichigo's baby soft skin and biting his nipples. He tried to taste the other's minty flavor in his mouth as he continued to play with himself. His eyes lidded, and his dick twitched when Ichigo decided to get off the car and lean over it, exposing his plump rear and long legs.

Grimmjow gripped himself harder and pumped faster. He held onto a tree and bit his lip as he continued to observe Ichigo and pleasure himself. He began thrusting into his own grip, hoping to recreate Ichigo's body heat and feel, something he never touched. His started to pant and moan as he watched Ichigo turn around and take off his jacket.

With a turn of Ichigo's head and exposure of a long neck, Grimmjow bit down on his own shirt to quiet his screams of pleasure. He emptied himself; his white fluids coated the ground below him. He let go of his shirt and quietly panted as he slowly put himself away. He leaned against the hard bark of a tree and looked up with closed eyes as he sighed.

_Ichigo, the things you do to me_, Grimmjow thought. After zipping up his pants and buttoning his pants, he walked back, so he wouldn't appear to have been spying as he masterbated.

Ichigo turned his head when he heard Grimmjow's grunt from the forestry. He smiled when he saw a more relaxed Grimmjow. He blushed at the thought of how Grimmjow had come to look so satisfied. He looked down to hide his flushed face.

Grimmjow walked over and leaned against the car next to Ichigo. He lazily looked at Ichigo, who was looking away. Despite the dark, Grimmjow could see the red tint in Ichigo's ears. He chuckled and said, "You okay?"

The orange haired man nodded.

"You sure?" asked Grimmjow leaning in to Ichigo, making his question a whisper.

Ichigo shivered at the breath that brushed along his skin. He looked over his shoulder to Grimmjow, who leaned in and brought Ichigo into another breathless kiss. After Ichigo pulled away to catch his breath, Grimmjow kissed Ichigo on his cheek and fully sat up. He put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the star filled sky.

_God, you have made me a lucky man_, Grimmjow thought.

As he got up and wrapped his arms around Grimmjow's waist to embrace him, Ichigo felt his heart pump wildly. He couldn't deny the emotion; he felt it for a while now. Ichigo looked up kissed Grimmjow's chin, getting the other's attention. As they looked into each other's eyes, Ichigo said, "I think I'm in love with you." He rested his chin on Grimmjow's muscled chest.

Grimmjow smiled softly and replied, "I've been in love with you since the first day I saw you." wrapped his arms around Ichigo and kept his eyes locked on Ichigo's. He whispered, "I love you, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo smiled up at him and replied, "I love you, too, Grimmjow Jaggerjack."

The blue haired man chuckled. "Good," he said, "because I don't want you loving anyone else." He kissed Ichigo on the forehead.

That night, Grimmjow drove Ichigo to his home. He asked Ichigo for permission first, and Ichigo agreed. Rukia and Chad were notified that night, causing both friends to text Grimmjow and Ichigo about being safe. Ichigo was appalled that Rukia would warn him about safety, while Grimmjow blushed as he explained that he wouldn't be sleeping with Ichigo.

When Grimmjow pulled into the driveway of his home, the doors to the garage opened widely, like a grand entrance. He parked inside the garage and got out of the car. When he turned to get Ichigo out, he saw the other already out and gaping at the well cleaned garage. He chuckled.

Ichigo turned to Grimmjow and asked, "You really clean out your garage?"

Grimmjow smiled and replied, "I like to keep a clean space." He walked to Ichigo and took his hand. He led the other away from the garage and took him to the house.

Ichigo's jaw ached from gaping so much. He couldn't believe that Grimmjow would beef up the fanciness of a small mansion. The entire home was brick, but the windows were large and white paneled with blue curtains. The grass was a bright green in the light of the posts outside the home. The door was a single white door with a gargoyle sitting next to it.

He passed inside when Grimmjow unlocked the door and let him in. He looked around and tried his best to keep his mouth shut. The carpets were white, and the furniture was black. The television wasn't so large, but it was big enough for a family to watch the Bears games in peace. The whole mansion was only one floor, so he was able to see all of the rooms via the hallway at the very start of the home's entrance.

"Do you want anything to drink?" asked Grimmjow after slipping off his shoes and walking toward the kitchen.

Ichigo shook his head and replied, "Water, please." He gently took of his own shoes and walked toward the kitchen, where the bright kitchen ware glared at him in their stainless steel glory. The white floors matched with the wooden island at the center, which had a black marble top. He walked toward the island and leaned on the marble, watching Grimmjow pull out two bottles of water from his large fridge.

Grimmjow jerked his head, inviting Ichigo into the living room, where he sat and handed Ichigo his water. He watched as Ichigo carefully plopped down on the sofa and opened his water to drink. Grimmjow took the moment to admire Ichigo again. He looked at the lashes that blinked elegantly as Ichigo drank his fill of water.

The orange haired man twisted the cap back on the bottle as he looked back to Grimmjow.

In order to keep the moment from turning awkward, Grimmjow asked, "Where did you learn how to fight?" He always wanted to know more about Ichigo. Starting with the skills that laid him out the first time would be an interesting start.

Ichigo smiled and replied, "A dojo in Chicago."

Grimmjow nodded and asked, "That's it? There's no story behind it?"

The orange haired man leaned back and looked at the glass coffee table, thinking if he should say why. He looked back at Grimmjow and explained himself. Everything from the bullying to the respect he currently held in his home town. When he finished, he looked at Grimmjow, who had a facial expression of wonder and pride. Grimmjow commented on his strength, both physically and mentally. Ichigo just nodded with a smile and thanked the other.

"What about you, Grimmjow?" asked Ichigo. "Where did you learn to fight?"

Grimmjow replied, "I learned at a dojo here in Karakura. I come from a family of pride fighting lunatics. My father always thought that being able to dominate foes in a fight was the noblest thing in the world. Funny how he found a woman who thought the same thing." He smiled and leaned back, too.

"Did you kick ass?" asked Ichigo.

The blue haired man chuckled and answered, "Yeah... My old man was proud of me, and I never strayed from that path. I always had to be the winner. I won trophies and titles, and my parents praised me every time."

Ichigo nodded and said, "Tell me about you, Grimmjow. I want to know the man I love."

Grimmjow smiled and explained himself. He explained the bigger stories of his past education and childhood to the smallest details, such as his favorite color. In turn, he asked Ichigo the same question, and Ichigo complied willingly.

Grimmjow yawned when Ichigo pronounced that he was really tired. "Yeah," he said, "Me, too." He got up and told Ichigo to follow him. He led Ichigo to his room.

Ichigo gaped at the large bed at the center of the room. The bed was a circle shape, with a mirror for a headboard. He blushed. The thought of Grimmjow's bed and sharing it with past lovers was not a happy thought for him. He also thought that Grimmjow must be a serious freak in bed.

The blue haired man saw Ichigo's main focus and said, "If you want, I can sleep in the guest room, and you can stay here. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

The orange haired man shook his head. He didn't want Grimmjow to keep avoiding him in terms of touch and embrace. He wanted that; he just didn't want all the sexual touches. "No," he said, "I would feel more uncomfortable if you stayed away from me." He looked at Grimmjow and took hold of his hand. "Don't leave."

Grimmjow felt his chest swell with love. Ichigo was asking him to sleep next to him; he wouldn't deny that kind of allowance, especially if he can hold the other. "Okay," he replied. He walked to his closet, where he pulled out a shirt and shorts for Ichigo to sleep in.

Ichigo took the clothes and changed in front of Grimmjow, who had to keep his sights on his own change of clothes.

The blue haired man did not want another problem, especially when Ichigo asked for him to stay in the same room. He slipped off his shirt and pants, and he slipped on his sleeping pants.

Ichigo watched Grimmjow change, enjoying the view of a muscular body. When Grimmjow didn't put on a shirt of any kind, Ichigo realized that Grimmjow didn't sleep with a shirt on. He blushed, knowing that the same chest would pressed against him during their sleep. He looked away when Grimmjow turned around.

"You can lay down, Ichigo," Grimmjow said. He walked to his closet and tossed his clothes inside. He didn't care if his clothes magically folded as they landed, for he just wanted to lay in bed and cuddle with his man.

The orange haired man made himself comfortable in the bed. He hummed when the soft mattress molded to his shape, and he sighed in content when the blankets cocooned him in warmth. He felt the bed tilt, so he knew Grimmjow was getting in bed at the moment. He smiled.

_I love him_, thought Ichigo with a smile. He felt Grimmjow settle behind him and wrap a strong arm around his waist. He felt the other's nose in his hair, and he felt the other's breath against his neck. He put his own hand on Grimmjow's arm and put as much of himself against Grimmjow. Then, he wrapped Grimmjow's leg in both of his own, as if to hold the other, too.

"I love you," whispered Grimmjow. He felt Ichigo respond with a squeeze to his hand.

Like that, both men fell asleep, neck deep in each other's love.

Eight months later...

Grimmjow stood at the counter, looking at the huge rock that he wanted to get for his Ichigo. The diamond sparkled behind the glass as it sat atop the golden band. It had been eight months since Grimmjow first started officially dating Ichigo. He had announced his love over and over, but he had no way to physically show it. He didn't want to rely on his word for another eight months or another year. He wanted Ichigo to see it and feel emotion.

He looked over to Chad, who accompanied him to the jeweler's shop. The tall man was dressed more casually compared to Grimmjow's white business suit. "What do you think, Chad?" he asked.

Chad looked over the ring and commented, "Are you going to propose?"

The thought of a proposal hit Grimmjow like a tidal wave. Of all the things not the think of, he had to forget about the possibility of a proposal. "Isn't it early? I mean, eight months, Chad," Grimmjow said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He didn't want to be too early and be turned down.

"Marriage should never have to measured if you love someone," advised Chad. "If you want to propose, this is the ring for the job." He patted Grimmjow on the shoulder.

Grimmjow nodded. _What better way to show love than ask for eternal bondage?_ he asked himself.

**Author's Note:**

**Alright! I sort of fulfilled my promise. -_- But! I got a chapter up there. Excuse the mistakes in terms of grammar or any other stuff. **

**If the jump was too fast, let me know. I'll try to slow things down again. **

**So, reviewers, what do you think? Also, is gay marriage legal in Japan?**


	15. First Comes Love, then Comes Marriage

**Chapter Fifteen: First Comes Love, then Comes Marriage**

Grimmjow was riding with Chad sitting in the front seat. The ring he had bought was sitting in a small black box with red engravings. The box itself was sitting in bag, which was bouncing peacefully in the back seat.

"How you gonna propose?" asked Chad. He was leaning toward the window, avoiding the low ceiling.

Grimmjow smiled. He stopped at a red light and replied, "I was thinking of dinner, a movie, a night out under the stars in the park, then I'll drop on my knees and whip out the box." He heard a chuckle, so he looked at Chad. "What?"

Chad replied, "I remember you telling me that you used to be a romantic, but I didn't think you were sooooo...cheesy." He only smiled when Grimmjow blushed.

"I am not cheesy," he said as he passed the green light. "I just like to make my babe feel special." Grimmjow pulled over by the Karakura Hotel. "He's the one, man. He deserves to be happy." He looked at his friend.

Chad nodded his head. "Good luck," he said. He exited the car and entered the hotel.

Grimmjow gave half of a smile and continued on his way to his apartment. He listened to the box bounce and the paper ruffle in the bag. As he drove down his street, he quickly planned, _Hide the ring under the mattress and pick it up before we leave. _

Then he said aloud, "How to ask him... Ichigo, will you marry me? Marry me, babe? May I have your hand in marriage?" After parking in the garage, Grimmjow slapped his forehead and groaned. "How the hell am I supposed to form the question? And where the hell are we gonna go? Fuck! Japan needs t' update its laws or somethin'." He groaned more and slipped off his seat belt.

"Be cool, be cool," Grimmjow whispered to himself as he got out of the car. He retrieved the gift and walked to his trashcan. He pulled the ring box free and tossed the frilly paper and bag. He kept the box behind his back as he entered his home and quietly tip-toed to his room. He was glad Ichigo was nowhere in sight. He had given his lover a key to his home, so stealth was important in case the other was in.

Grimmjow sighed as he turned the knob of his room door. He opened the door and was greeted with Rukia attacking Ichigo by throwing different outfits at him. He raised a brow. "Ichigo?" he said.

Ichigo pushed off the many outfits on him and looked at Grimmjow. He blushed. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just did some shopping with Rukia, and she wanted me to pick an outfit for tonight. I'll pick everything up when we're done."

"Tonight?" asked Grimmjow.

"Yeah," replied Ichigo. He stood and walked over.

Grimmjow's grip on the box tightened. _Tonight, tonight, what's tonight?_ he thought. He was brought from his thoughts when Ichigo hugged him, barely missing the feel of the box. He quickly put his box hand to the wall, looking casual as he gave Ichigo a one-armed hug.

"Don't you remember?" asked Ichigo looking up at the other.

Before Grimmjow could answer that question, Rukia yelled, "We're going to a concert!" She hooted with joy and threw her fists in the air.

"Oh yeah," Grimmjow said as he inwardly panicked.

_If he goes to the concert, I can't propose. And if I can't propose tonight, I could always propose tomorrow, but..._

"Where's the concert?" asked Grimmjow.

"The biggest stadium in Japan!" answered Rukia. "We literally have to take a plane to get there. You know that." She plopped herself on the floor. "You don't remember mindlessly waving your hand and saying 'mhmm, yeah. Yeah sure.'?"

"Uhhh.." Grimmjow trailed.

"So we'll be gone for the weekend," said Ichigo. He smiled and added, "Don't worry. We'll be fine."

Grimmjow licked his lips. _The weekend... Ssshit_, he thought. With that thought, he dropped to his knees, surprising Ichigo, who looked down at him and asked if he was okay. _Crap! What am I doing?!_ He pulled the box up and opened it to show the ring. _Yup. I'm doin' that. I am so smooth_. Sarcasm rung in his head.

"Grimmjow?"

"No way," breathed Rukia.

"Ichigo, baby. Will ya marry me?" asked Grimmjow. He looked up at the other's sparkling eyes and searched amongst the glittery tears for his answer.

"Yeah," Ichigo mumbled through tears. He dropped to his knees and embraced Grimmjow, tightening his loving grip around him. His face was buried in Grimmjow's chest as he cried.

Grimmjow, on the other hand, was shocked and pleased at the same time. He hugged Ichigo back and laid a loving kiss on Ichigo's head. He cringed when he heard Rukia holler out in joy.

"My best friend is getting married!" she announced to no one. "Ichigo is getting married!" She pulled out her phone and speedily text the announcement.

The blue haired man leaned back against the wall and sighed in content, holding his fiance, who had slipped on the ring and cuddled against him. He rubbed the other's back and asked, "Where do ya want to go for the wedding?"

"Anywhere is fine with me," answered Ichigo. He was staring at the ring and listening to Grimmjow's heart beat. Then, he raised his head and gave Grimmjow a kiss on the lips.

"I call role of wedding planner!" yelled Rukia from her position with her hand raised.

Grimmjow replied, "If I let you do that, then I fear I may look like a freakish penguin at the altar."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rukia grouched.

The blue haired man shook his head. "I was hoping for a small wedding, Rukia. I don't want anything big." He kissed Ichigo on the cheek and added, "I just want this wedding to be about us."

"No shit," said Rukia. "The wedding is supposed to be about you two." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Where do you want to go anyway?"

"I'm not sure," answered Grimmjow.

"What about Europe?" asked Ichigo. "I hear same sex marriage is legal in some of the countries." He sat up and folded his legs.

Grimmjow smiled and nodded his head. "Alright. Europe it is," he answered. He frowned when Rukia pulled Ichigo by his arm.

"We still have to get ready for the concert," said Rukia as she dragged Ichigo to the pile of clothes. "When we get there, Ichigo, we're gonna celebrate your engagement like there's no tomorrow." She smiled down at Ichigo, who was smiling back up at her.

Ichigo stumbled to his feet and said, "Okay, okay..." He looked at Grimmjow and mouthed, "I love you."

Grimmjow could only keep his smile and stare as Ichigo and Rukia packed his bag with new clothes. His chest was filled a peaceful emotion, despite the pounding of his happy heart. He sketched Ichigo's image in his mind, being careful to keep the curves of Ichigo's smile and glorious eyes in his mind. He got to his feet and leaned on the door panel.

Ichigo was sitting on the suitcase as Rukia was zipping it shut. "We don't need all of this, Rukia," he complained. "We're only going to be there for the weekend."

Rukia stopped zipping the bag and looked at Ichigo as if he were slower than a snail. "A weekend doesn't mean staying in the hotel and only going out to the concert, Ichigo," she replied, "All these outfits are for both going out and providing backup in case you puke on yourself."

"What makes you think I'll puke?" asked Ichigo as he crossed his arms.

The small woman chuckled and answered, "You can't hold your liquor well. That's why you sip out of your drink and don't gulp it down. Plus, when your body gets too heated, you tend to puke up dinner."

Ichigo gaped.

"That's why I'm your best friend," said Rukia with a smile as she zipped up the bag and tugged Ichigo off of it. "On to my place!" she declared. She grabbed Ichigo's bag and Ichigo and started for the front door.

"Rukia! Wait!" Ichigo said as he stopped himself at the door. "Give me a sec, 'kay?" He walked to Grimmjow, who was still smiling adoringly at him.

Grimmjow didn't wait for Ichigo to wrap his arms around his neck. Instead, he swooped in, holding Ichigo's waist, and kissed him. He felt fingers comb through his hair and make his mind go fuzzy. He heard a faint "I love you" before he felt Ichigo's body slip from his grasp. "I love you, too," he said just as lowly.

After Ichigo had left, Grimmjow lazily stared at his front door as he leaned against the wall. An image of Ichigo wearing white and a golden ring on his wedding finger glowed before his eyes, and the bright, sparkling eyes were glazed over with happy tears. "We'd be the two Misters," he joked to himself.

His smile faded as he realized that he had to start planning a trip to some country in Europe. "Where the hell would he want to get married in Europe? Shit! What European country allows gay marriage?" he asked himself. He got off the wall and sat on his couch, where he text Chad and Harribel, hoping one of the two would answer him.

The phone went off, playing the ringtone for Chad. With a quick click of his finger, Grimmjow opened the text. "What do you mean 'look it up on your fancy phone'?" he asked aloud to the text.

Grimmjow typed in, _Can I talk with you about our options _after _I look up the places on my "fancy phone?" _Text was sent.

Beep. Beep. Chad had replied, _Yes. _

_K. I'll drop by the bar in a few_, Grimmjow text back. He shut his phone off and shoved it in his pocket; excited feet brought him to his home laptop, opening the screen and surfing through a search engine for legal gay marriage in Europe.

"Let's see... Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Portugal...Spain," Grimmjow mumbled as he went through page after page. He sighed.

As Grimmjow searched for a place to marry Ichigo, Chad was at his respective job and serving drinks. He rotated his shoulder, feeling somewhat sore from serving a few rather large, fancy drinks to some customers. Another customer called for him just as he thought of sitting on one of the bar stools. He quietly groaned as his shoulder lightly thudded.

"How may I help you?" asked Chad as he walked over, wiping away some glass circles from the bartop with a rag. After receiving the order, he quickly put the drink together and served it, getting the respective due at the same time. He wiped away a working sweat on his brow as he sat on the nearest bar stool. The phone's vibration in his pocket gained his attention.

Pulling out the phone, he saw that Grimmjow announced he would be coming by with a list. He made a brief text and sighed as he put the phone away.

_Grimmjow, you really are something, you know that?_ he mentally said to his friend. _Come to think of it, I never thought you would settle down..._ He chuckled. _Proved me wrong. _He reminisced on all of the occasions he had to either save Grimmjow or help him with a dilemma, all having to do with one nighters. A grin came to his face when he recalled holding back the two wrestlers and hearing Grimmjow cheering him on to kick their asses. _I almost did..._

For a few more minutes, Chad sat on the stool and daydreamed of all the times he himself got into trouble in school and all of the times he saved one of his comrades on missions. If he had to sum up his life, Chad would say that he had an entertaining story full of excitement.

"What ya thinkin' about?" came Grimmjow's voice. A moan from the closing door followed.

Chad looked at his friend and answered, "Notha." He sat up and followed the ripped notebook page of countries and respective hotels and prices and churches. "You were quite busy," he said. "I didn't know you could research that fast."

Grimmjow raised a brow, but he shook his head afterward. "Help me pick a place. The prices are there, but that's the least of my worries," he started.

"I see," said Chad. He tapped his chin and stared at the chicken scratch on the paper. He scanned through the converted yen prices and cringed at some of the highest. Some hotel names were hard to pronounce in his head, and some of the added commentary under the countries and their hotels weren't helping. Well, seeing words like _pretty_, _been there_, and _can't say_ didn't tell him much. He hummed when he saw no commentary by _Belgium_. "Well, how about Belgium. I've heard that the place is nice."

Grimmjow then said, "So Belgium?"

Chad nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "The choice is yours, but I suggest Belgium."

_The only place I can tell you haven't visited so far_, he thought as he saw Grimmjow make different faces and stare at the paper.

He tilted his head when Grimmjow started to babble about making calls and making plans for the wedding and honeymoon. He chuckled as Grimmjow's babble turned into worrysome gibberish about who to invite and how to celebrate on the wedding day. With a smile, he laid a hand on Grimmjow's shoulder, gaining the blue haired man's attention. "Don't complicate it," he advised.

Grimmjow closed his eyes and sighed. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. After nodding his head, he turned to Chad and asked, "Chad. Wanna be my best man?"

**Author's Note:**

**No, I didn't forget about this story. Sorry for not updating in forever and giving such a short chapter. I blame lack of inspiration. -_- I'm going to try to update more, keeping the story short and sweet. I predict like two to three more chapters for this story. **

**That means lemony awesomeness for us all real soon! Muahahaha! XD By the way, if anyone has ever been to Belgium or is a native of Belgium, could you PM me. I'd like to learn some stuff. :)**


End file.
